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| Posted By | Discussion Topic: Bucs are said to be the top contenders for the Super Bowl | ||||
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| BaLLooN NoT | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 12:56 PM |    | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00  | Bucs feel the heat of Super expectations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com TAMPA, Fla. -- This time last summer, the hot buzz in this humid city was that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a talented assemblage with but a few warts, would become the first franchise in NFL history to contend for a Super Bowl championship in its own stadium. Twelve months later, the folks who peddle those expensive cigars in the famed Ybor City section of town are still waiting to fire up a victory stogie. Their one-time loveable losers fell victim in 2000 to heightened expectations overshadowed by lowly offensive results. This time around, the pricey victory cigars are rolled again, but the torch that could transform the passion for a title into a chaotic bonfire is another playoff pratfall. If you believe the rumors, ownership is frustrated, and either ready to sell the team or can the coach. Or both. If you believe the parking valet at a downtown hotel, the fans who fill Raymond James Stadium can't handle another season of dashed Super Bowl dreams and are wary of broken promises. And if you believe the Tampa Bay players, especially those veterans who have been an integral part of the Bucs' reversal of fortunes, the 2001 season definitely represents put-up-or-shut-up time. Certainly, the fear of failure hangs thicker in the air here than the pesky swarms of gnats and mosquitoes that players swat away during workouts. "Everybody knows," said wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson following a training camp practice, "where we're supposed to be the last Sunday in January, man. And if we're not, then something's the matter." On the training camp practice fields at the University of Tampa, the temperature climbed into the high 90s most days this summer. In the minds of the Bucs players, however, the pressure to fulfill the destiny that has eluded them is exponentially hotter than that. The only noise louder than the cacophony of catcalls, with which the Bucs exited Veterans Stadium last New Year's Eve after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild-card playoff game, is the grating sound of a football biological clock ticking away. Whether it is true or not, Tampa Bay players sense this is the final shot at the ring for the roster as it is currently configured. "There are too many players here for our legacy to be like, 'Well, they had all that talent but they just couldn't win a Super Bowl,' you know?" said tailback Warrick Dunn, the diminutive runner who figures to be the offensive centerpiece this season. "People don't want to hear about what you should have done or could have done. And we're a little bit tired of hearing ourselves talk about it, too. We have to win. And we have to win now. Anything less (than a championship) is unacceptable, and we realize that." In his recent interview with ESPN's Sal Paolantonio, the characteristically loquacious defensive tackle Warren Sapp verbalized similar sentiments, adding as an exclamation point the promise that he will retire if the Bucs aren't flaunting Super Bowl rings by next year's training camp. Sample the most senior members of the Tampa Bay roster and the perception this team must win now, or see its key personnel components scattered, is a pretty common thread. The facts actually suggest otherwise. One of the league's best front offices, led by general manager Rich McKay, has been anything but shortsighted in assuring the Bucs should be a competitive force for at least several more years. According to NFL Players Association salary documents obtained by ESPN.com, the club is about $5 million over the projected salary cap limit for 2002, hardly an insurmountable figure, or one that would cause Bucs officials to enact a sweeping roster purge. Most of Tampa Bay's nucleus players are signed beyond this season, including weakside linebacker and spiritual leader Derrick Brooks, who just last week signed a four-year, $28 million extension through the 2006 campaign. A defense that has terrorized opponents for three straight seasons, and last year finished No. 9 statistically in the league, is intact except for one spot and has added a premier weakside rusher in end Simeon Rice. The offense that a year ago figured Keyshawn Johnson was the final piece of the puzzle now has quarterback Brad Johnson trying to put Humpty Dumpty together again. Maybe management figures the firm of Johnson & Johnson can heal what ails the offense. Probably no one feels the pressure more than Brad Johnson, the latest in a long litany of alleged quarterback saviors. He's in charge of catapulting a unit that statistically ranked 21st a year ago into the respectable range. There still exists a simmering realization on the part of some defensive players that, if the offense is just a tad more productive than in 2000, there will be no excuses left for not capturing a Super Bowl title. In truth, the Bucs established new franchise records in 2000 for points scored (388) and Tampa Bay won six games by double-digit margins. In the end, though, the offense was as stodgy and predictable as in the past, and coach Tony Dungy, who is catching some heat himself from a fan base that once worshipped him, is working on his third different coordinator in three years. It is difficult to gauge how much better the designs of new offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen will be. For all the fanfare that accompanied his arrival, Johnson has played an entire 16-game schedule just once in his career and, almost as a caricature of his fragility, had an accident at home that sidelined him for the first week of training camp. Johnson rates as the No. 8-leading passer in league history, but his 84.7 efficiency rating is just another argument for the meaningless nature of that statistic, since he has never taken a team to a conference championship game. Beyond the suspicions about Johnson's lack of arm strength, there are concerns about an offensive line that will start a rookie left tackle (first-round pick Kenyatta Walker) and a right guard (Cosey Coleman) who barely played from scrimmage as a rookie in 2000. It's easy to say the line will be more athletic, as Dungy and Christensen have emphasized, but quite another to expect an immediately cohesive unit. "The one thing we won't do, though, is make excuses," Christensen said. "If we don't get it done, it's because we weren't good enough in some area. And that's on us as coaches and as players." Rest assured that, if the Bucs fall shy of a Super Bowl berth again, rumors of Dungy's demise will quickly surface. There were loud whispers last January, when the city hosted Super Bowl XXXV, that owner Malcolm Glazer was negotiating to sell the franchise to former San Francisco 49ers owner Ed DeBartolo Jr. And there was rampant speculation that Dungy was about to be replaced by Bill Parcells as head coach. It would be negligent not to point out that some of Parcells' old staffers around the NFL, assistant coaches with whom he had worked in the past, were put on alert that something could be in the wind. Several delayed signing contracts with their current teams because they felt Parcells might land in Tampa. It should be noted as well that the Glazer family reportedly flirted with the idea of buying the New York Jets from the estate of the late Leon Hess and selling the Bucs franchise. The owners have adamantly denied they have a "For Sale" sign on the team, and McKay has reiterated several times that Dungy is going nowhere. But in the NFL, the window of opportunity for a championship remains open just so long. And while it hasn't slid shut yet on the Bucs, the players feel it's begun its descent. Said defensive end Marcus Jones: "One thing about this team, there's always plenty of smoke around it, right?" Of course, where there is smoke, there is fire. Whether that fire becomes a passion that carries the Bucs to a Super Bowl victory -- or an inferno that destroys everything in its path -- remains to be seen. Brad Johnson's task in Tampa is to direct the Bucs to a Super Bowl XXXVI victory. “ People don't want to hear about what you should have done or could have done. And we're a little bit tired of hearing ourselves talk about it, too. We have to win. And we have to win now. Anything less (than a championship) is unacceptable, and we realize that. †— Warrick Dunn, Bucs tailback  Thank you Jolene for the sig!!! E-Mail = E-Mail Me AIM = OABaLLooNNoT | ||||
| MrQuotes NO!!! You can't have any smiley faces in your status!!! G.O.O.F.B.A.H.G.S. Missile Command | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 1:01 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Nov. 00 | just like last year? I see a red door and i want it painted black | ||||
| TeenWeek what's a status? | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 1:02 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Damn you Mr. Qoutes. You beat to it. There defense is great but there offense is pathetic. They will be a Wild Card team, host a playoff game tops. Will not get out of the 2nd round. Giants, Vikings, Rams, even Eagles are better than them.  | ||||
| Unicron | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 1:13 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Mar. 01 | ESPN the Magazine has Tampa Bay vs Denver Super Bowl. Well, here are my offical predictions: NFC East: Giants NFC Cent: Buccaneers NFC West: Saints NFC Card: Eagles NFC Card: Rams NFC Card: Vikings NFC Wild Card Round: Saints def. Vikings Eagles def. Rams NFC Divisional Round Giants def. Eagles Saints def. Buccaneers NFC Championship Saints def. Giants AFC East: Colts AFC Cent: Titans AFC West: Raiders AFC Card: Ravens AFC Card: Broncos AFC Card: Dolphins AFC Wild Card Round Titans def Dolphins Broncos def. Ravens AFC Divisional Round Colts def. Broncos Raiders def. Titans AFC Championship Colts def. Raiders Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana Colts def. Saints  | ||||
| Shoring | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 1:40 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Oct. 00 | brad johnson couldnt make it to the super bowl with a great offense when he was with the vikings what the hell makes anyone think he can do it with me-shawn and well thats it | ||||
| Lord Duvious | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 1:47 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Jul. 01 | Unicron, lay off the crack man. Saints! LMMFAOROTF!!!!  Email Me It takes a lot of work to get this cynical. | ||||
| Unicron | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 2:29 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Mar. 01 | Lord D, Rams in 1999...remember..the begining of the season? Who thought that they would become a offensive powerhous, and even more absurd, Super Bowl Champs? no one. Ravens and Giants are same example. If anything, the NFL in recent history has taught us to expect the unexpected. So you laugh at my Saints pick, come January we shall see if you are still laughing. :) GOD I LOVE FOOTBALL! This message was edited by Unicron on 8-31-01 @ 2:33 PM | ||||
| DiamondDust | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 2:50 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Titans v. Buccs in the Super Bowl The Freak grabs his first ring... The Buccs will be a real good team, don't underestimate Johnson Just another observation of insanity. | ||||
| Ferret | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 2:59 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Oct. 00 | Come on, the Bucs will be good, but Superbowl, no way. They'll stumble as soon as the players begin taking their "me-first" attitude with teammates (ie Keyshawn). The Saints in the Superbowl????? That right there tells you that you shouldn't take their picks seriously.  | ||||
| Unicron | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 3:06 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Mar. 01 | when was the last time any of you looked at the Saints? their roster is chock full o' talent. Their Defense is fenomanal, the O will be good as long as Horn stays healthy, and Brooks and Blake are interchangable at QB, the thing is, they are both good. Saints have many weapons, and a solid D. They are worth a consideration, and from me, i consider them to be Super Bowl conntenders this year. | ||||
| Ferret | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 3:13 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Oct. 00 | Uni- They have an injury proned overrated running back and a quarterback spot that is constantly switched because the other guy losses it, no because one wins it. Trow that in with injury proned WR core and an inconsistent (though phenomemnal at times) Defense, and you don't have a Superbowl team. They'll be good, But not Superbowl good. Maybe, they can even win a playoff game, but that's it. They're still young and have time to plug in those holes over the next few years. This message was edited by Ferret on 8-31-01 @ 3:20 PM | ||||
| Unicron | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 3:17 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Mar. 01 | The Saints will get closer to the Super Bowl than the Buccaneers this year and i'll put money on it. | ||||
| Lord Duvious | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 3:29 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Jul. 01 | Return to Offensive Dominance... Rams v. Broncos Email Me It takes a lot of work to get this cynical. | ||||
| Drunken GW I Pissed on a Church to get this Status. | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 3:30 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Dec. 00 | I'll take that 5 times. Proud Member of the S.T.O.N.E.R./Swillers Alliance. | ||||
| Cluster F | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 5:10 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00 | Bucs in the super bowl?? Might as well think that they are going to play the Browns this year. I wont make any predictions, for fear of jinxing my teams, but i sure as hell know that a team with Keyshawn and Rice, and other flamboyant assholes, they wont go anywhere in the playoffs, if they even make it that far. | ||||
| Austin The Dark Enforcer/Angry Stoned Pimp G.O.O.F.B.A.H.G.S. New World Order Secret Police Chief Proud Inventor of the "Cream Cheese, Peanut Butter and Jelly" sandwich | posted on 08-31-2001 @ 6:31 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Feb. 01 | quote: Ahhhh a betting man....interesting..We should Talk Uni....  | ||||
| rageparty 123...Not so bare anymore since I got a number underneath my name again I also have an imaginary girlfriend. | posted on 09-03-2001 @ 6:03 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Aug. 01 | i'm pickin raiders to win the super bowl, they have no where to go but up ^^^ | ||||
| NASA | posted on 09-03-2001 @ 7:55 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Sep. 01 | Not that it would have anything to do at all with their success, but Ryan Leaf has been cut by the Buccaneers today. What a sad story. Great raw talent gone to waste. He had it coming to him, ever since his first press conference he's been uncooperative and childish.  | ||||
Displaying 1-18 of 18 messages in this thread. |