Details from the war room

Just got done with a post-draft nightcap and can't sleep. So, naturally, I figured I'd blog.

Got some interesting tidbits to share on some of the details from inside the draft room at One Buc Place.

For one, I hear it was a close call between Aqib Talib and Mike Jenkins. The Bucs appeared to be enamored with Talib's size (he's over 6-1 and weighs 202 pounds) and were drawn to his slight edge as a bigger playmaker. Either way, they liked both. One other thing: I'll go against the grain here and give the Bucs the benefit of the doubt when it comes to drafting a defender this high. Monte Kiffin, if history is an indicator, won't screw this up. They haven't missed on many defenders on the first day (i.e. Kelly, Barber).

Regarding their decision not to draft a receiver in the first round, it's my understanding that Devin Thomas did have a first-round grade where the Bucs were concerned, but it appears he was lower on their board than the cornerbacks. They also concluded he didn't have a big enough body of work to be a safe pick after only one season playing at a high level.

One thing that nearly happened was the Bucs picking an offensive tackle. Had Jeff Otah fallen to them (he went one spot earlier to Carolina), he might have become a Buc. Tampa Bay had identified tackle as the deepest position and regarded most of the first-round tackles and potential long-term starters with star potential.

Lastly, the rumored Jason Taylor deal might have continued to gain steam as the day wore on, but I'm told the Bucs didn't spend a lot of time considering the possibility. I don't doubt there was a conversation even though Dolphins G.M. Jeff Ireland dismissed the whole thing as a rumor. I've been doing this long enough to know that there isn't that much smoke without any fire. I mean, even Taylor's agent called at least one writer I know asking what said writer was hearing about a potential deal. That tells me agent Gary Wichard regarded the rumor as more than just talk. I also heard Taylor was very much in favor of coming to Tampa, with one associate describing the situation as "perfect."

In the end, the Bucs resisted the temptation to take on the aging, highly-paid superstar who is nearing his end. Considering the Bucs' youth movement, it was probably the right decision.

Anyway, it was an interesting day. I know many of you aren't sure how to feel about it, but it sure didn't lack intrigue, even if it was a little anticlimactic.

See you in Round 3.

Comments

[stopcryingaboutjenkins]

Well for one i wish hat some of these fellow "buc fans" would just shut up bout the whole mike jenkins thing and riding off talib like he's a scrub cuz in my opinion and alot of other people's opinions he's a damn good prospect. He willbe grounded now with the birth of his daughter. And u judge him cuz he smoked weed instead of his honesty that he did it but has grown. Get off the b.s. like you've never done a thing outside the rules in your life. Dexter Jax will develop into a fine reciever and its not like any of the other recievers are rated nuch higher anyhow. Half of you complainers say "oh why didn't they take brohm" please if they did you'd be complaining why they took another qb. For those of you defending tampa's pick of Talib I'm right there with u cuz unlike half of you we got faith in our team and understand talib is a good prospect. So stop crying and talking bull til' you see the end result. Let's see what we do 2mor, maybe we get booty or josh johnson, a dt and another wideout...

You know the more I learn about Aqib Talib the more I like him. Surf the video clips, Gruden is right, the kids got juice, and a feel for the game. I have watched a lot guys get drafted after terrific college careers and they end of looking completely lost in the NFL. You can teach a football player only so much, some of it he has to bring with him, like heart and instincts. Intangibles used to be the word. As for character, the word I hear is Talib has a daughter now, and I know that my whole concept of living changed when my first child was born. The level of competition at cornerback this year is going to be intense, and if Tanard Jackson and Jermaine Phillips continue to play at a high level, passing against the Bucs will be a terrible thing for opponents. On the Dexter Jackson choice, I personally think DeSean Jackson is too small at 169lbs to be able to deal with physical corners. I remember Keenan McCardell, although a great route runner and a contributor in 2002 and 2003 as well as the Super Bowl, when a corner or safety would get a hold of him they would throw him backwards like a rag doll. If a receiver can’t fight through press coverage it doesn’t matter how fast he is, and with Garcia’s short to midrange arm the routes are mostly catch and run, so after the little guy has a safety explode into him he will have nothing left to offer. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

[Joe Simmons (Slow Joe)]

I'm pretty sure the Bucs were angling for a left tackle. That would have completed the overhaul of the offensive line. Their hearts must have sank when they heard the Carolina Panthers traded up to one spot ahead of them to get Otah.

[Jim]

Once a pot-head, always a pot-head. Having a child has never grounded a professional athlete...
The Buc's still have issues at QB and RB. RB's have a 4-year shelf life in the NFL. 30+ year old RB's rarely contribute much. Its a sad fact. Garcia and Griese are near extinction. The rest of the QB cubbard has no real future. Until this team has the elite QB, RB and WR package it will not get back to the Super Bowl.

[Billy]

great way to cover up the fact that you guys said it was going to be Jenkins.

What happened to the Jason Taylor trade?

Wow, between Taylor and Jenkins you guys have been stellar at predicting what the Bucs were going to do.

[M. Reynolds]

God Bucs fans are an embarrassment.

1. "Until this team has the elite QB, RB and WR package it will not get back to the Super Bowl"

-Wait, you mean a package on the Hall of Fame level of Brad Johnson, Keyshawn Johnson, and Michael Pittman? You know, I bet if you just have Manning, Harrison, Wayne, and Addai on your offense they go ahead and give you the title without you having to play for it!

2. I support the Talib decision. However, I did get a little antsy when they showed the clip of the TE (forgot the name) smoking Talib on a TD pass. These things even happened to Deion, so no biggie.

3. Everyone shut up about Limas Sweed or Devin Whatshisname. The sure-thing pick doesn't exist. Calvin Johnson didn't exactly make a Pro Bowl run last year. And now who looks like the smarter team in the Mario Williams-Reggie Bush saga? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. Now go back to painting your 1999 NFC Championship Game miniatures.

[Ish]

Yeah, once a pothead always a pothead. They never do good in the NFL. Look at the last pothead Tampa drafted, that Warren Sapp was worthless!

NOTE: THIS IS SARCASM!

[Stephen_Holder]

Billy: you're wrong. We never reported they were going to pick Jenkins except for in a mock draft, which really is just for fun. You're thinking about another newspaper that shall not be named.

[joey]

they reached with both their picks reminds me of the pick a few years ago with marquis walker or the other receiver we pick from juco i cant even think of his name but i dont think he ever played for us oh well maybe talib will turn out to be a good player because they passed on another really good cb in jenkins

[Stephen_Holder]

If you're going to make accusations, please make sure they are at least accurate.

[Ish]

Walker played for Michigan, and Michigan receiver = NFL bust. Not always, but 99% of the time.

[d]

Tampa Bay has the most ignorant fans in the NFL, by far.

Let's reserve judgement on these kids until they actually suit up as Bucs. I think we can all agree on that. What annoys me to no end, however, are the hardcore Kool-Aid drinkers who lash out at anyone who may dare question the drafting strategy of the front office. News flash, not everyone is going to be on board with the picks for whatever reason. They have a history of whiffing more than hitting and naturally some fans are initially skeptical. Bruce and Chuck are far from infallible so if someone is going to have a few contradictory points, quit with the absolutely lazy and unoriginal comebacks such as "you don't know football" and "you don't have faith in the FO, they know what they are doing."

There's a possibility the trade down hurt them yesterday. There's a possibility they miscalculated when DeSean Jackson would fall to them. We'll never know. Don't act as if the players we didn't land were 100% not in the teams plans and that they "meant to do that". One thing that does concern me is Chucky's immediate reaction to distance himself from Talib and put the responsibility on everyone else, lamenting how many wideouts he missed out on.

Let's see what we do next. Atlanta and Carolina are already getting some quality defenders at a bargain, without reaching.

[Fred]

Thanks for the great coverage, Stephen. Ignore the angry Buc fans. They aren't happy unless they can shake their fist at something. They've been well trained by Dumig.

[Wayne]

Understand they interviewed Dexter Jackson's Mom and she had never heard of him either.

[JS]

well finally some good news jeremy zuttagh tackle from rutgers. The final block of our young line..great pickup at round 3

The final block? Only if he's being moved (or Sears) to LT. Otherwise this was a pick for a backup while other glaring needs were still available.

[Mookie]

Jenkins would have been a solid cat, but Talib could be electric in the hands of Monty and Raheem who can turn this guy into a ballhawk over time. Turnovers have been lacking for so long in the bucs D. Turnovers are what got us to the superbowl when the D was so good. Last year our D was statistically second, but where were we on turnovers and where did we exit? Don't hate on Talib over Jenkins.

If Booty is there in the 4th, I'd think about him hard. He qb'd a pro style offense under Carrol and made some fantastic plays and would be worth a 4th round pick for whatever team wants to try him out.

And I've heard people say they dont want Jason Taylor. Why? We have the money and he has 2 years left of good production. You can have Kevin Carter tutor Gaines Adams or you can have a previous MVP and possible HOF guy do it (who can still add to the defensive rotation). No brainer so long as nothing gets unreasonable in negotiations.

[DV]

You guys need to all calm down! I saw several mock drafts that had Talib going to New England with the 7th overall pick... landing top 10 talent at #20 is a steal. As far as Dex Jax goes, who knows if he'll pan out or not. Every draft pick is a roll of the dice, and his success depends on how he fits in to his new teams' system, how well he understands it, and how quickly he learns it. You people can blame Gruden/Allen all you want, but the picks success or failure is not entirely due to them. Ryan Leaf was supposed to have Super Bowl rings by now, lol.

[Billy]

How did Kiper do in this draft?

Mayock was money picking 90 of the first 100, that's who you should be spending the better part of day with, not Kiper.

[Tony M.]

I'm happy with Talib, he and Jenkins went back and forth in terms of which one was considered better. So I'm definitely willing to give the benefit of the doubt for him, and I have faith that he will develop into a great Buccaneer. I think his character issues will be minor in hindsight, to me a person that admits wrong-doing deserves more credit than he's getting for facing the music.

Also, I am really pleased with Jeremy Zuttah and Dre Moore. Those guys look like they were great picks. In fact, on paper they look downright stellar.

But this Dexter Jackson pick just looks terrible on paper. We have drafted these small, super-fast guys before and they have been total busts. I just can't get behind it, someone better show us something. Quite frankly, I'm more than a little miffed that we traded down when we could have snagged Limas Sweed with our original position.

What did we get out of that second round trade anyways?

[Pete]

Not sure I like this draft. But really what does a draft mean until these "players" play. Let's look at these guy's in a couple of years.