Bucs offensive line well represented in Prisco's position rankings

CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco recently wrapped up his rankings for each position in the NFL - the top 10 players at each - and several Bucs have cracked the lists.

The highest ranking went to center Jeff Faine, who is fourth, with Kellen Winslow ranked as the fifth best tight end. Three Bucs offensive linemen were on the lists.

To check out the full list, go here position rankings.

Here are the Bucs that made it, with Prisco's comments:

Inside Linebacker (Barrett Ruud, 10th)

Prisco: He plays the all-important middle in the Tampa-2 and does it well. He's a tackling machine. 

Tight end (Kellen Winslow, 5th)

Prisco: Now that he's out of Cleveland and healthy he should revert to his 2007 numbers. He's one of the best threats down the field of this group.

Center (Jeff Faine, 4th)

Prisco: Smart, heady center who added the glue to a young line that needed it. He's not overpowering, but he gets by with his smarts.

Guards (Davin Joseph, 5th; Arron Sears, 10th)

Prisco on Joseph: He emerged as a Pro Bowl player last year on one of the better lines in the league. Plays with a mean streak.

Prisco on Sears: Doesn't get the attention Joseph gets, but he's not far behind.

-- JOE SMITH

joesmith@sptimes.com

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Glazer family sells Zapata to hedge fund

Our friends in the Times/tampabay.com Business department have posted an interested item to their Venture Blog about the Glazer family selling its majority stake in Zapata Corp. to a hedge fund for $74 million. Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owners have a heavy relationship with hedge funds that loaned them money for the purchase of Manchester United. Still unclear is what the Glazers overall financial situation is, but Zapata was an important investment, serving as a holding company for other businesses. Malcolm Glazer's son, Avram, is chief executive officer of Zapata. 

Gruden blogging from USO tour of Iraq

Former Bucs coach Jon Gruden, making a smooth transition into a new job as a commentator for "Monday Night Football" this fall, is blogging on ESPN.com about his experiences this week as part of the NFL-USO Coaches Tour to visit U.S. military personnel in Iraq.

Gruden, on tour with fellow NFL coaches Tom Coughlin, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher and John Harbaugh, has picked up on everything -- the huge number of "Terrible Towels" soldiers have with them in Iraq, the opulence of the converted palaces now used as hotels for visitors and the proximity of stocked ponds to fish for carp and catfish.

Gruden and Cowher took off their Super Bowl rings to let soldiers wear them during the visit, and his highest praise was for the men and women who have made him their guest in the past few days.

It's amazing what you see here. The organization and the attention to detail is amazing. The camaraderie is excellent. The pride will bring tears to your eyes. I'm really proud of these people, these warriors, these people at war here. They want to be great at what they do. They love it, and you can see it in their eyes. It's been so impressive to me. I just tip my hat to them.

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Less two-a-days for Bucs in preseason camp

Bucs training camp shouldn't be as much of a grind under first-year coach Raheem Morris, as Tampa Bay will have just eight days of two-a-days out of  19 days of preseason camp.

The Bucs open camp on Aug. 1, and the team will have double practice sessions only every other day -- they have two-a-days on consecutive days just once, and one of the afternoon workouts is special-teams only. Last summer, under coach Jon Gruden, the Bucs had two practices on 14 of 18 days.

Morris said last month that he intends to have more of the practices in full or partial pads than the team held under Gruden, so while there's fewer overall practices, he wants a more physical, energetic camp.

The opening day's evening practice will be held at Raymond James Stadium, but otherwise, it's the team's first training camp at the new One Buc Place after using Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando in recent years. A full schedule of practices is available on the Bucs' official site.

An important note for fans interested in attending practices, which are free and open to the public: Advance tickets are only available for fans who sign up for the team's free One Buc Club e-mail newsletter. The team expects to be able to accommodate about 4,000 fans at each session, but no walk-up tickets will be available if enough tickets are reserved in advance through the One Buc Club. Fans who do not have e-mail access to join the club will not be able to get advance tickets, according to the team.

We'll have plenty more on training camp as it gets closer, but the team is stressing now that fans can only enter the Bucs complex through Himes Avenue, and not through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, so as to minimize the traffic impact on surrounding streets.

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

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SI.com tabs Bucs among 'worst' offseasons

SI.com's Ross Tucker, picking which NFL teams have had the best and worst offseasons, leads off the worst with the Bucs, leading off with a blunt "Where do I start?"

Tucker is critical of the Bucs' change in leadership at head coach and general manager, and writes that Mark Dominik's decision to give tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. a new contract when he had two years left on his rookie deal sends an unclear message to "proven pewter stalwarts" like linebacker Barrett Ruud and tackle Donald Penn, who are waiting for new deals of their own.

The Broncos and Redskins are also chosen as having the worst offseasons, while the Patriots, Eagles and Falcons are Tucker's choices for making the most of the past five months. Do you think the Bucs deserve to be ranked among the league's worst offseasons?

-- We haven't heard much from veteran cornerback Ronde Barber this offseason, but a story at Buccaneers.com talks about his transition to a new defense, and how people who question if he can continue to play at a high level only serve to motivate him as he enters his 13th NFL season.

"Ronde's been one of those guys that's probably been doubted his whole career," coach Raheem Morris told the site. "He was a third-round pick and now he's the Buccaneers' all-time leader in interceptions. He's…the only cornerbacks to have 20/20 sacks and interceptions [in his career]. Any time you doubt a guy like that, you're calling him out. He's focused, he's locked in and he's right exactly where he needs to be."

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Romano: Glazers spending less, Bucs suffer

Times columnist John Romano has a column for Wednesday's newspaper with his opinion on the revelation that the Bucs spent less money on player salaries and bonuses than any other NFL team since 2004.

For one reason or another, the Glazers are not spending money the way they once did. And, perhaps not coincidentally, the team is not winning as much, either.

You can read the full column here, and come back to leave your comments here ...

NFL.com: Bucs spent least money since '04

The Bucs have spent less money on player salaries and bonuses than any other NFL team since 2004, according to a report from the NFL.com's new beat writer, Jason La Canfora.

La Canfora looked at NFL Management Council figures to determine how much "committed cash" each NFL team had spent from 2004-08, and the disparity is surprising. The Bucs rank last among 32 teams with $449 million, which is $53 million under the league average. That works out to $10.6 million less per year under the league average, and a full $23.4 million per year less than the highest-spending team, the Dallas Cowboys.

It's disappointing news for Bucs fans, and La Canfora posted a follow-up story, looking at how much NFL teams have spent per win over the past five seasons. The Bucs have spent the least in the NFL according to the numbers, but they're hardly the most efficient when it comes to cost per win -- with 38 wins in those five seasons, the Bucs spent an average of $11.81 million per victory, and 13 NFL teams spent less per win than the Bucs.

What does this mean to fans? Does it make you question the commitment to winning if the Bucs are spending less on players than any other team in the league?

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Fox: Brooks is NFL's No. 7 remaining free agent

Former Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks remains unclaimed as he seeks to continue his NFL career this fall, but there is no shortage of well-known names lingering through summer as unsigned free agents.

FOXsports.com has a slideshow ranking its top 10 unsigned free agents, and the 35-year-old Brooks is just No. 7 on the list, yet ahead of Colts receiver Marvin Harrison.

"He received next to no interest as of last week, but murmurs have begun around the Giants after an injury to starter Michael Boley," the site writes about Brooks.

There are no other NFC South players in the 10 named by FOX, and Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs is No. 1 in the rankings.

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

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McCown: 'I've got an opportunity this year'

Bucs quarterback Luke McCown, a month away from the start of training camp and a battle for Tampa Bay's starting job, checks in with the Tyler (Texas) Morning Telegraph as he and his brothers run the McCown Passing Camp at Tyler Junior College.

McCown addresses his lack of starting experience in the context of what he's been able to learn in five NFL seasons: "I'm going into my sixth year with only seven starts. I've got a lot of football in me, just not on the field," he tells the newspaper.

Coming off a 9-7 season in which the Bucs just missed the playoffs, there's not exactly a need for a turnaround, but with a new coach and general manager and key veteran players no longer on roster, there is major change at Tampa Bay.

"You look at Arizona, Atlanta, Miami, a number of teams that turned it around in one season," McCown said. "It can be done with the right group of guys that believe, play and work for each other. We're looking at doing it this year."

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Bucs GM Dominik: Goal to let Freeman sit and learn

If Bucs general manager Mark Dominik has his way, rookie Josh Freeman will not be the starting quarterback this season.

Not right away, at least.

"The ultimate goal is to let Josh Freeman sit back and learn,'' Dominik said Saturday.

A few weeks ago, Dominik, coach Raheem Morris, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson and pro scouting coordinator Doug Williams met and decided to re-evaluate Freeman one week into training camp to determine if they should accelerate his progress.

Olson suggested that at his current pace, Freeman might begin the season as the Bucs' starting quarterback.

Dominik hasn't completely ruled it out, but it's clear the plan is not to rush Freeman into the huddle.

"I still think he's a 21-year-old quarterback who came out as a true junior,'' Dominik said of Freeman. "You'd like for him to grow and mature into his role and not be forced into it.''

Dominik said he frequently meets with position coaches to evaluate the progress of players, particularly the development of rookies.

The first order of business is to reach an agreement on a contract with Freeman, the 17th overall pick in the draft.

Making matters easier for the Bucs is that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was selected 18th overall a year ago. Flacco signed a 5-year, $30-million deal with $8.5-million to sign. Dominik said he plans to begin talks in early July and doesn't anticipate a problem getting Freeman under contract by the time the team reports to training camp July 31.

Dominik said the race between veterans Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich is extremely close and indicated a decision might not be made until the end of the preseason.

"It should be very wide open,'' Dominik said. "The competition still is ongoing. The important thing about what they did in the OTA's as a group is that they got a foundation of the offense and showed an ability to grasp it mentally and then go out and operate it on the field. That's why we're anxious to put the pads on and see how they do in the (preseason) games.''

There are other issues facing Dominik and the Bucs between now and the start of training camp.

Dominik said he expects linebacker Barrett Ruud to report on time. Ruud missed all 14 OTA's in an attempt to draw attention to his need for a contract extension. Dominik maintained his policy of not publicly discussing negotiations.

Ruud did attend the team's mandatory minicamp.

"You saw some little things (he missed), but his instincts took over,'' Dominik said of Ruud. "Barrett is a very smart football player. He can pick it up on a chalkboard. A lot of players have to do it on the field. His coaches did a nice job of keeping him up to date with what we were doing.''

Finally, Dominik indicated the Bucs have no interest in signing former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress at this time. The Bucs are looking for receviers to back up starters Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton. 

"We're going to let Brian Clark, Maurice Stovall and even Dexter Jackson compete and go from there,'' Dominik said.     

Midday sports report

Times staff writer Rodney Page discusses the news of the day and tells you what stories we're working on this afternoon at tampabay.com in our latest "Midday sports report.''

ESPN: Bucs NFL's No. 9 team of decade

ESPN.com's Mike Sando has an interesting if complicated formula for calculating the NFL's power rankings for the decade about to end -- is that the 00s? -- and Tampa Bay ranks ninth by his math.

Sando used five variables -- regular-season wins, playoff appearances, playoff wins, Super Bowl wins and Super Bowl losses. Considering the Bucs have had just three playoff wins in the entire decade, all in the 2002 Super Bowl run, seems like a respectable showing.

These rankings are completely subjective -- where would you rank the Bucs? ESPN.com's top five are the Patriots, Colts, Steelers, Eagles and Ravens. Which teams are overrated in the rankings? Underrated? The Lions, by the way, beat out the Texans for last on the list -- wild to think that the Cowboys have zero playoff wins in this decade ...

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Haynesworth: Bucs offered more money

Some interesting news about the Bucs in an interview that Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth had on Sirius NFL Radio. Haynesworth, the biggest jewel in this season's free-agent crop, chose the Redskins over an offer from the Bucs, apparently giving up money to do so. Here's the juicy parts:

Host Adam Schein asked if money was the No. 1 issue in him choosing the Redskins, and Haynesworth said "No, I could've made more money with Tampa Bay if I really wanted to."

Asked why he chose the Redskins -- who finished last in the NFC East last season and went 8-8, one game behind the 9-7 Bucs -- here's what Haynesworth had to say:

"They offered me a whole lot more, and even with their tax situation, it could have been 20 percent more. But you look at Washington, they've got a lot of the pieces together. They're right there. They're in a huge market. It's one of the largest markets in the world. You've just got a large, huge media outlet and it can be life beyond football. Going to Tampa, I mean, great city. Looking at it from the off-season standpoint, I love the water. I love to be out in the sun. It's just awesome, but it would've been like another Nashville. Tampa doesn't have that big market and they don't have a huge fan base like the Washington Redskins do, so I think it was just a choice just to look at it that way."

In case you're wondering, by the numbers, Washington D.C. is the nation's ninth-largest TV market, while Tampa is 13th. Did we mention that the Bucs play at the Redskins in Week 4 on Oct. 4?

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Winslow named honorary official at Daytona

Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. has been named Honorary Race Official for next week's Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway.

"We're excited to welcome a talented NFL star such as Kellen Winslow and look forward to his participation in pre-race festivities," Speedway president Robin Braig said in a statement.

Here's the release from Daytona's official site. Winslow isn't the only current Bucs player to serve in a guest capacity at Daytona -- I covered a race at Daytona back in 2004 when quarterback Byron Leftwich, then with the Jaguars, was the grand marshal back in the summer race's Pepsi days. Defensive end Stylez White was at the Daytona 500 in February, along with then-Bucs receiver Joey Galloway.

I'm blogsitting for a bit here this summer, so we'll try to keep the updates coming as often as possible ...

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Midday sports report

Tom Jones discusses the news of the day and tells you what stories we're working on this afternoon at tampabay.com in our latest "Midday sports report.''

Midday sports report

Times staff writer Rodney Page discusses the news of the day and tells you what stories we're working on this afternoon at tampabay.com in our latest "Midday sports report.''

Agent: Bucs sign draft picks Moore, Biggers

The Buccaneers have signed two draft picks -- defensive end Kyle Moore and cornerback E.J. Biggers -- to four-year contracts, according to their agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Moore was drafted in the fourth round by the Bucs, and Biggers was selected in the seventh round. Their signings leave the Bucs with just two unsigned draft picks: first-rounder Josh Freeman, the quarterback from Kansas State and third-round pick Roy Miller, a defensive tackle from Texas.

FIfth-round pick Xavier Fulton signed two weeks ago, and seventh-rounder Sammie Stroughter signed last week. Rosenhaus posted the news of Moore and Biggers' signings on his page at Twitter.com.

-- Greg Auman, Times staff writer

Midday sports report

Tom Jones discusses the news of the day and tells you what stories we're working on this afternoon at tampabay.com in our latest "Midday sports report.''

Midday sports report

Staff writer Tom Jones discusses the news of the day and tells you what stories we're working on this afternoon at tampabay.com in our latest "Midday sports report.''

Buccaneers sign seventh-round pick Sammie Stroughter, release three prosepcts

The Buccaneers have signed seventh-round pick Sammie Stroughter to a four-year contract, bringing the team one step closer to locking up its 2009 draft class.

Stroughter, from Oregon State, has drawn praise from coaches for his aptitude in quickly learning the offense and his ability to contribute immediately. To that end, the former first team All-Pac 10 selection received a contract that includes some escalators in its final year, giving him the ability to cash in if his contributions are what the team hopes they will be.

"We're very happy with what he's doing," offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said earlier this week. "He was coming along and doing some things that we drafted him for."

Specifically, the Bucs drafted Stroughter to play in the slot and contend for the team's No. 3 receiver role. Though he missed this week's mini-camp with a hamstring injury, he is soon expected to be at full strength and should make training camp interesting as he battles for playing time.

The Bucs have four unsigned picks remaining: first-rounder Josh Freeman, third-rounder Roy Miller, fourth-rounder Kyle Moore and seventh-rounder E.J. Biggers.

In addition, the Bucs released former South Florida WR Amarri Jackson, LB Jamall Johnson and CB Evan McCollough. Each was an undrafted free agent. Jackson spent part of last summer with the Bucs after coming out of USF but was cut prior to training camp then, too.

Midday sports report

Two Cents' Tom Jones brings you the news of the day, and reveals the stories we're currently working on.

Raheem Morris warns of intense training camp for Bucs

Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris has maintained from Day 1 he wants a team that possesses toughness. Now he's making it clear he will find out who does and doesn't have it.

Morris said the Bucs will hold seven fewer training-camp practices this fall but they will conduct more workouts in full and partial pads than under former coach Jon Gruden.

The former regime of Gruden and his staff scaled back the workload in training camp for many players, particularly veterans. Morris clearly has other intentions.

"We'll hopefully get more enthusiastic practices," he said. "We'll have more juice. We'll have more energy. We'll see more physical, tough acts being displayed on the football field. We'll be in pads. It'll be a little bit different."

Part of Morris' goal in holding more physical practices is to work on basics like tackling, a skill that was lacking late last season when the Bucs collapsed with four straight losses to close out '08.

It's an ambitious approach Morris is taking and one that comes with some inherent risks, but he seems steadfast in his plans. As a result, players had better be in excellent shape when they report on July 31.