What would you do?

The Bucs clearly need help after last season's disappointing 4-12 finish, their third losing season in the past four. And in your heart you know you're just the person to provide it. Here's your chance. Tampa Bay owns the fourth overall pick in this weekend's draft, behind the Raiders, Lions and Browns. You're playing the role of general manager Bruce Allen or coach Jon Gruden. Do you:

1. Trade up for Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson (left)? 

2. Select Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas (right)?

3. Take quarterback JaMarcus Russell of LSU or Brady Quinn of Notre Dame?

4. Select Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson (left)?

5. Draft a defensive lineman such as Clemson's Gaines Adams or Louisville's Amobi Okoye?

6. Trade your picks to the Bears for linebacker Lance Briggs (right)?

7. Do something else?

You're on the clock. What move do you make, and why? We'll run a selection of responses on page 2C of Saturday's Times, so please leave your full name and hometown along with your comments.

And be careful. We remember all too well draft day busts such as Keith McCants, Charles McRae and Bo Jackson, the top overall pick in 1986 who never played a down for the Bucs.

(AP photos. Click to enlarge.)

Comments

[James R. Wilson]

If Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas are both available I would take Thomas for 2 reasons. 1. Left tackles like him come along once every 5 to 10 years. 2. Need.

My theory is he can give all the receivers more time to run their routes and he can also run block. Our QBs don't need to be slammed so hard they are injured.

Spend the rest of the first day picks on defense. DE, DT, S. Maybe try and get a big RB like Wynn, Fla or Tony Hunt PSU. Beat em in to submission and let the defense spend less time on the field.

[Anthony Gironda]

Calvin Johnson because the Raiders need a QB, the Lions have a bad history of drafting a WR, and Brady Quinn may go to the Browns. Bucs, PLEASE GET CALVIN JOHNSON!, Also, GET LANCE BRIGGS!!!

[Anthony Gironda]

Calvin Johnson! because the Raiders need a QB, the Lions have a bad history of drafting a WR, and Brady Quinn may go to the Browns. Bucs, PLEASE GET CALVIN JOHNSON!, Also, GET LANCE BRIGGS!!!

[Ray Sivley]

Calvin Johnson is a once in a decade talent at WR. You have already signed Luke Petitgout at Tackle and RB or QB are not pressing needs. This needs to be a defensive draft after Round one. Guys like Charles Johnson will be available in Round 2 and in Round 3 Justin Durant may still available at LB

[Eric]

All depends on Al Davis and the Raiders.Who's to say he will not take CJ.If that happens the the rest is easy.Bail out of the 4th pick.Trade down,get aditional picks,and save some money.Your not paying for a top 5 pick and you can address more needs.Levi Jones,Patrick Willis would be a bargain later in the 1st round.Plus you could add a player in the trade,depending on the offer.

[John Pelham, Chattanooga, TN]

Take BRADY QUINN in a heartbeat - and then fire Gruden -- and get someone who actually knows how to nuture a talented Quarterback and build a roster. Quinn has character -- Gruden has little.

[Thomas Tran]

I don't think you can go wrong by staying put at #4 and taking any of the guys available. That includes Quinn and Peterson. Garcia is getting old and the jury is still out on Simms. Although Cadillac has shown brilliance, he has durability issues and is thus far, not a sure thing. I have some inside hearsay that his back is a lot worse than most people think. Here's my top 5 for the Bucs...
1.) CJ
2.) Quinn
3.) Peterson
4.) Thomas
5.) Okoye or Branch

You take the lineman Thomas, or possibly try to trade down and get your defensive lineman. The Bucs have too many other areas of real need. WR is not one of them, especially when you consider the style of the QBs they have in place.

Johnson is a great WR. However, with all of the hype he has nowhere to go but down. He is going to have to post 1300 yards and 10 TDs just to meet what everyone expects now. Plus, this draft is stocked with other solid WRs. You still get a great WR in the 2nd-3rd rounds.

Remember, Jerry Rice was the 3rd WR taken in his draft; T.O. was taken in the 3rd round; Joe Horn was taken in the 5th. Anyone recall Colston last year?

Johnson is too overhyped now. Let Millen get burned again if he wants to and don't let Davis stick it to us.

[shane]

If calvin johnson is not available for the bucs to take and the possibility of shelton quarles being released you would have to trade down and try to pick up lance briggs. that would be a huge addition for the bucs. Also we dont really need anymore help on the offensive side of the ball we made key additions to the O line to the QB and WR positions with GARCIA, BOSTON, PETITGOUT. lets hope the bucs management use their heads this year.

[Wags]

If CJ is there he is a no brainer ...... however I would trade down to the Minnesota spot let them take Quinn or Petersen pickup a few extra picks and then draft the best safety in Landry or even the young kid in Okoye who looks like a high motor guy which we haven`t had since Sapp who by the way really helped Rice be effective by commanding a double team on every play. Hovan is a backup at best in this league and we have to start that slug. I like the center from SC Kalil or Satele as Wade really sucks. Bain or Wright would be a good look in the 4th or 5th at corner. Hunt would be a good downhill runner to compliment the YUGO .. I mean Williams. I like Weddle or Wendling too at safety. Shaw, Sartz, Nicholas would be great special team additions and depth at Linebacker. Me personally I am moving Derrick, or Nece to the inside and starting Cato at the weakside ...... Derrick knows every spot on D much easier for him to adjust then Cato.

[Ed]

For the best receiver ever, CJ seemed to disappear a lot during his career. So I think I would pass. Peterson, if Caddy has a bad back, the go RB. Quinn probably fits Gruden and West Coast Offense, and despite th ethought of disappearing in big games, he worked with less talent and had the pressure of trying to score on every time he touched the ball because of terrible defense. O line great L tackles are hard to come by, remember Paul Gruber anchor for years. D-Line-WE NEED HELP BAD. Trade down get a couple more picks and rebuild the D. If not, 1. Quinn 2. Thomas or Brown 3. Peterson

[Jock Dion]

Take the best player left of the following guys(in order):

Calvin Johnson
Joe Thomas
Adrian Peterson

[Bartman]

If you don't protect your QB or block for the RB's, it won't matter how good they are. Just ask Cadilac or Simm's spleen...ouch. I take Joe Thomas.

[Doug]

I would trade Jon Gruden for a seventh round draft pick and quite. I would then go work for the Bush administration.

That would be the best draft day strategy we've had since 2004.

First hire new coach, start over!!!!

[Doughdzm]

I agree with alot of those people who have had comments.If Calvin johnson is not available trade Jake plummer for draft picks 3 and 4th rounders.Trade the number 4 overall down 6 spots to whoever is at 10 for their first,third and possibly a fourth.I would then draft the best DT or safety depending on draft grades and pick up the other in the second round..The third round should be packed with fringe players so I would go based upon need again..which would be Buster Davis from Florida State to fill in for Shelton Quarles...Day 2 in the fourth round I would go for sabby piscitelli at saftey..in the fifth I would go for another offensive lineman.sixth should be a speed freak at wideoutand finally 7th I would go for the fastest player on the board or the strongest.....If we let last years draft show how we let the big one get away.We lost a whole offensive line last year..outside of the first round lets say Marcus Mcneil,Winston Justice ,Max jean giles,Please take heed and get better coacheas for your lineman you wont have to draft them all in the first round and in conclusion remember we run a cover two which is predicated to linebacker protection,It starts up front with pressure and ends with the fierce and often times hardhitting safety which allows your linbackers to use their brains and make judgement calls,..WE still must replace John Lynch and Warren Sapp 3yrs later..Draft a safety then bulk up your D-line and quit wasting your draft picks on what you like instead of what you need..Your whole draft since the Gruden Allen administration has been flawed no impact players ..Mike Clayton has disappeared and The "lac" may be next no other players that have been drafted has had an impact on making this a successful franchise..,.Where is a McKay when you need one..

[Gulf Surf Forum]

I would fire myself if I were Gruden and head out to Philly where I'd rather be.

I would hope that the new coach would trade down to pick up Patrick Willis to get the MLB taking care of and use the rest of the picks to beef up the DT position then look for a diamond in the rough WR in the second or third round. This team is too old, can't polish a turd especially if it's old and dried up.

[Robert]

I would actually start off by getting rid of Gruden so he can't make any more bad decisions. I am already hearing things like I will pick one player so I can trade with Oakland. Huh? He has slowly dismantled a team that Tony Dungy built up. We already know that we are going to have another ough season so why not start from scratch now and not wait another year!!!

[Sharon]

My choice would be to trade Bruce and Golden Boy for the best coach available. Then maybe some good player decisions could be made.

[Eric]

I would go for joe thomas.

We have needed a solid o-line for years.

I also would think about trading cadillac williams. he is way over rated.

[Eric]

We also need to pick up some younger guys, the bucs defense is old, slow, and weak.

We need some younger talent.

O yeah fire Gruden. he is a horrible coach.

[Dennis]

unless CJ is there at 4 I trade the pick to the Bears for Briggs if they want it, then take Khalil in the second round , then going dt and safety with the other second and early third . Possibly Thomas from Florida and Rousse fram VT.

[Brett]

all you Gruden/Allen bashers are dolts. Pull your heads out before you suffocate. I guess the tam that Dungy built should still be here? Morons.
You people say that and then in the same breath say we need to get younger . Well having Lynch (35) , Sapp (34) , Brooks (34) , Rice (33), Kelly (31) , and Barber (32) all on the , oh lets not ever cut any of Dungys players , team would not make us any tounger , just older and slower. It was neither of their faults that all the picks were lost and that we have no big timers between 26 and 30 years old . Even the players on the team that love Dungy agreed that it was time for him to go. Gruden won us that SuperBowl as the teams window was closing. The next year they tried and failed to repeat at that point you have to try and get younger in your core players. Wake up people.

[robert]

shut it fool, gruden didnt dismantle the bucs. the players dungy had just got old and need to be reeplaced with fresh legs

[bob]

robert, shut it fool, gruden didnt dismantle the bucs. the players dungy had just got old and need to be reeplaced with fresh legs

[Andy]

Fire Gruden and Allen.

[Brennan]

Done deal you pick CJ. Gruden lets get real are best WR is getting old, are number two couldn't catch a ball last year and not to say anything bad about boston he still hasn't shown the greatness he had his 1st two seasons and you will end up cutting him agin. So draft the 6-5 239lb monster CJ.

[Jeff]

Fire Gruden.

[Anand Vasudev]

Very simple. Trade down for a later pick and an additional 2nd rounder. You can take someone like Jarvis Moss late first round and draft a WR like Steve Smith in the 2nd. We need serious help at LB (with Quarles gone), DT, Safety and Corner. Use your picks wisely. Defense wins championship. Lackluster offense does not.

[Bucs again 4-12]

The problem started when Gruden had Rich McKay shipped to Atlanta in favor of his do boy Allen. McKay was the voice of reason, big brother watching over Gruden. Allen is nothing but a yes man allowing Gruden to run wild. Why else did he get the job.... because of his ability to be a quality GM. Please! Bucs screw up this draft for sure. Make the deal for Johnson!

[Mike Harter]

I would start by having Gruden go to church!!! Then spend some quailty time with his players off the field. He needs to establish a talking relationship with his guys. He has great players that could make a huge turn around for this team if he worked with them instead of against them. Then, I would go back to pounding the rock. With no running game it won't matter who you hire!

[Nancy]

I'd take Joe Thomas. We definitely need help on the O-Line on the left side and he will help protect southpaw Simms if he is the starter.

[Dave]

I think that Briggs is superior to any player other than Calvin Johnson. So, since CJ might be gone, I'd trade for Briggs and a late-round pick. I just can't think of a player who is worth taking at 4 that would help the Bucs. If they could trade down to get Paul Posluzny or Darrelle Revis (Or another top defensive player) and add a few more picks, that could be worth it. The two guys I mentioned would be good around 15 or so.

[Kris]

Calvin Johnson is a sure pick and then trade a QB for a second first round pick and get Briggs.

[Gilbert Ford]

Something should have been done a long time before now! I would have gotten rid of John Gruden, you see if he was as heralded as HE thinks he is, Oakland would have kept him. The team he inherited was Dungy's. I know, Dungy is gone and so on and so on. I would look at offensive line help, then a seasoned veteran quarterback with mobility, no Simms, Gradkowski-someone like a Jeff George. A defensive tackle or End, everyone knew but the Bucs, that Simeon Rice was a jerk and a waste. Sure, I am making enemies, but I am a loyal Buc Fan, from the days of John McKay and that bigot Culverhouse (God rest his soul) to now, and oh yes get a real General Manager to keep the meddlesome Glazer boy's out of football business. I think it is time for Monte Kiffin to take the reins and chuck, chucky!

[Tom]

Thank you Brett for some real logic. All you bandwagon fans that continue to bash Gruden and Allen have short term memory loss. Dungy and McKay built a great team here. But do any of you remember the anemic offense we had? Didn't score a touchdown in THREE straight playoff games!! And McKay has made some really bad picks also. Reidel Anthony, Jacquez Green, trading up for Kenyatta Walker to play LT when he was a RT in college.

Gruden and Allen has made some horrendous mistakes also. But none of you complained when we won the Super Bowl with him. He was exactly what we needed at the time. And what about drafting Clayton (could've been Rookie of the year) and Cadillac (Rookie of the Year)? Did you guys complain when you all wanted to draft Mike Williams who is now getting cut by the Lions?

I am not the biggest Gruden fan after last year also. But I think I am fair enough to say he took us to the promise land and gave us a great 05 season. I'll give him one more year to prove himself.

[Rob Johnson]

We should not trade up at all. Pick Calvin Johnson if available but if not then we should trade down to Washington or Minnesota because it's only 2 or 3 spots down and we could still get a great player and another pick in the draft. With that 1st round pick and either their 2nd rounder or ours we could trade up into the 1st round and get SLB Lawrence Timmons in the 1st and a WLB in the 2nd round to be the heir apparent to Derrick Brooks.

[Tom]

Furthermore, do you all realize that Gruden built the Raiders whom we played against in the Super Bowl? Do you give him credit for that? And he should have gone the year before if it wasn't for the infamous tuck rule against the Pats. Do you really think we would have made the Super Bowl and won with Todd Christiansen as OC, or Mike Shula or Les Steckel? All this rubbish about how terrrible Gruden is and how great Dungy is, is really getting old.

[Brent]

yo Tom, if Gruden and Allen take CJ in 1st round and deal trade a 2nd round pick or MORE you should feel embarrased in your defense of these boobs. If they don't trade up and make reasonable picks, then I too will wait 1 year. Personally I think Allen is ok. Gruden is the idiot who is so slow to catch on to concepts like the shot gun, using your draft to build the foundation of your team, using two running backs rather than running one into the ground, not showing your cards and falling in love like a schoolboy with draft picks, etc... He is digging his own grave and better not screw up this draft or a lot of people will be on him twice as much. Think defense Chucky!!! Screw this CJ garbage!!!

[Brian Rolph]

Don't Trade Up unless your only giving up Simeon Rice for Calvin Johnson. If Calvin is not at 4 then trade down. There is Calvin Johnson and then the rest of the draft. I don't see any difference with the personnel you can get at 8 versus 4 except Calvin Johnson. You could land a quality safety at 8 or a great defensive lineman. You would save cap dollars and probably pick up another early 2nd round pick which could lead to another solid starter. There is no guarantees on drafting in the 1st round. Bucs fans no this best. The more players you draft the better. You have a much better possibility of landing a star with greater numbers versus trying to land that one player.

[Tyler Ellrodt]

Any package of picks the Bucs offer to the Lions will undoubtably include the fourth overall selection, there is no questioning that. However, the other picks are what many question. What do you give up for one player? I would give up the later of the Bucs seccond round picks as well as the Bucs seccond round pick for 2008. If the Lions turn their noses up at that, so be it and select Gaines Adams or Amobi Okoye. Go Bucs, get your guy!

[Mike]

I select Joe Thomas. The right side of our line is set, but that doesn't do us quite as much good if Jeff Garcia or another right-hander is our starting quarterback. So I get Thomas, and pray to God that he's more Paul Gruber than Charles McRae.

[Kevin]

Joe Thomas. No question.

[Gary]

Joe Thomas will be around for 8-10 years opening holes and protecting your QB. Quality offensive linemen are rare and this guys is special. Look at some tape.....he walks over anything in his path.

[MT]

A flashy wide receiver is useless when the quarterback is on his back. Joe Thomas plugs a hole for 10 years. Receivers are a dime a dozen. But, we all know that Gruden won't be here in ten years, so they will draft Johnson if he is there.Of cousre there is alway's next years draft to look forward to since this seems to be the direction the team is going, by then they wiil waste another pick on a so called prodigy.

[Tim]

I would wait and see if Calvin Johnson falls to #4. If not, then I would take Joe Thomas to solidify our offensive line. Maybe taking Adrian Peterson wouldn't be bad either. Gruden has had past experience using a two-back system. The rest of the draft should be devoted to defense. Our D is old, old, old!

[harold floyd]

i think we should draft the kid from michigan(branch), because have not had a good run stopper since warren sapp! booger mcfarland was a joke, we get rid of sapp for this guy and we still get rid of him!gruden & allen should review their past mistakes. they used dungy's team to win the super bowl so why not use his method of drafting then maybe gruden can win the super bowl with players of his own!!! go bucs!

[David Bloyed]

I will Give you all 7 rounds
RD 1 Calvin Johnson if there at 4th pick only! If not then Joe Thomas (Much harder to find a stud Tackle than a wide receiver)
Rd 2a Ryan Kalil C,USC (Offensive line should be complete for years)
Rd 2b Victor Abiamiri DE,ND (May not be hear this late,but has good stats and speed.Can put on more weight.)
Rd 3 Micheal Bush RB,LOU (If this guy is here you take him.1st round talent in the 3rd.The guy will heal!)
Rd 4 Marcus Thomas DT,FL (Warren Sapp had pot issues.Just put this guy around good character players and hope for the best.This is another 1st round talent guy.)
Rd 5 Marvin White SS,TCU (Hard hitter,would be a great pickup in this spot we need safety help.)
Rd 7a Kyle Shotwell ILB,Cal Poly
Rd 7b Gabe Hall OL,Texas Tech (Great size,Converted TE,Has good feet work)
Rd 7c David Overstreet FS,Missouri (We need safety help)

[kim]

Go ahead trade with Lions for C.J. And give the rest to M. Kiffen and say Merry Christmas

[kim]

And now the Facts Allen and Gruden will do the picking its his ship let him sail it or sink it You have no say SO MAY GOD HELP GOOOOO BUCS POUND THAT ROCK SUPER BOWL BOUND