Graham a no-show again

Running back Earnest Graham missed the second day of offseason team activity workouts at One Buc Place today.

The team doesn't give official reasons for absences this time of year because the workouts are voluntary, but Graham's absence does beg the question as to whether his failure to show has anything to do with his lack of a contract extension.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told us last week the sides were still talking about a deal, but that's been the case since January, really. Anyhow, it's too early to assume anything. We'll continue to monitor the situation and let you know what we learn.

Comments

[mm]

That's probably Gruden's fault too.

[Alex]

if they do offer him a contract it will be something that has the ability to be absorbed by another team should he be traded. It will be very difficult to afford him, Cadillac, Dunn and Bennett long term. Everyone knows theat Graham leaves you wanting more out of a back which is why you see we have a rb-by-committee approach in contrast to run cadillac run prior to caddy's injury. He is trade bait. Watch... no way Gruden and Allen commit to him long term...look at their history with rb in tampa...Pittman, Thomas Jones, Alstott, Garner, Stecker...Why would graham be any different when the draft is filled with potential franchise abcks to be had in any round? Think people...Rb is the position with the lowest long term return... After 30, they aren't the same... plus, the Post Draft FA market and the deep draft will put the Bucs in the power position...that why there is no movement Steven.

[Tim]

After his first three games Cadillac was a bust..Hands of stone.. 2 yards per carry.. very average.. Do you really think he can rehab a career ending injury and be half the back he was ?? If he does, he will be the first..

[Matt]

Graham never left me wanting more. The man averages about 4 yards per carry, catches everything in sight and isn't afraid to block. Caddy is still living off the reputation of being a top 5 draft pick and those first 3 weeks in the league. I wouldn't give Graham $8 million a year, but $2-3 million is long overdue. Unless the Bucs plan on making Bennett the #1 back or drafting a RB in the 1st or 2nd round, they should pay Graham what he's worth. It would also be good for team chemistry.

[John Klopfer]

I like Graham...I liked him coming out of the University of Florida. He had one really good year for the Bucs. I applaud his effort...but one season does not justify a huge long term contract. There have been many one year busts in all major sports. I believe the best contract (from the Bucs standpoint) would be moderate pay and heavy on the incentives. If he is everything he thinks he is....then the incentives will pan out. Over the years the Bus have shown loyality to Graham...when no one else wanted him...the Bucs found a place for him. Now it is time for Graham to make an ernest effort to return the favor. These OTAs go a long way in making the season successful. Ernest if you are out for personal reasons not mentioned, I aplogize for the stern comments.

[wally]

Definitely Gruden's fault. Or Allen's fault. Or both. They're trying to run this franchise into the ground with only 3 division titles in 6 years. Of course, they won that division title last year with Dungy and McKay's team. BTW, I really miss McKay and his noble action to not let Tampa get any draft picks for his exodus.

[mm]

Look, The Bucs will reward him. I say after the draft is when you will see the re-signing of players. Their focus right now is on the draft. EG will definitely get his as will the rest of the guys. I'm looking forward to seeing "Mr. August" shine!

[wally]

BTW, since I'm an out-of-towner, what exactly did Gruden/Allen do to piss all the TB press off? Did they not let them sit at the cool kids' table? Gruden was pretty loved here in the sf bay area, and he didn't bring the Raiders a SuperBowl. Actually, considering how bad the Raiders have been, maybe what he did here should have been considered SuperBowl-esque in accomplishment.

[mm]

Good point Wally. If McKay was here, Graham would be sitting on a cool $25 million guaranteed! Hell I'm sure Garcia would be closer to $30 million. You guys are all numb. Let the next few weeks go by and things will pan out.

[Quentin]

"Graham never left me wanting more."

Me neither. He may not be flashy, but he produces. He runs hard, he catches what's thrown to him, he blocks, he never takes a loss, and he never, ever fumbles (0 last year). He's making about $600,000 a year, playing a position that absolutely destroys your body. I don't think $2.5-$3 million is unreasonable, especially with all of this cap space. He certainly shouldn't be making less than his backups.

I have faith that it'll all work out in the end. I think Greg White and Earnest Graham will get raises that satisfy them, but it probably won't come until after the draft. Jovan Haye is already making over $2 million this year, so he'll probably have to prove himself for another year for the team to make a real commitment to him. Garcia might also see a pay raise, but I hope he's not expecting some kind of $10 million a year payday.

[Unbiased Gator Fans]

Not sure what you guys don't see in EG. If he gets the ball 20+ times per game he will rush for 1,500 yards and score about 16+ TDs next year!

BANK ON IT!

[RD]

It's Rick Stroud's fault.

[jr]

Someone needs to remind Graham of Errict Rhett. Not exactly the same situation but close enough. Running back is one of the easiest positions to replace. Yes, he should get more $$$, but he's no Frank Gore.

[Bryan]

Way to go "Wally" it took and out of towner to say what needed to be said long ago. Three division titles in three years and somebody is crying about it. Obviously they don't remember "Bucco Bruce" in orange and the loser coaches (other than Dungy) of the past. Then somebody gives the credit for Gruden's success to "Dungey's team". Guess they missed the inteview with Dunn yesterday when he said the only Bucs remaining from when he was here are Brooks and Barber. No I'm not happy with all of Grudens decisions, but then again,I don't don't have his skills and experience nor can I view the team from his perspective. I'm satisfied by the job he's done and I believe will continue to do......Bryan

[JR]

mm and Quentin said it right. Just wait till after the draft for all this resigning and giving of raises to happen. There is so much time between training camp and now, all of these contract disputes will probably be settled and we will see some guys get extensions, possibly buchanan, haye, white. someone needs to tell graham that this isnt the way to handle these matter. garcia has some disputes about his contract but he is still here. its not that big of a deal because its OTA's but its all about principles.
On a side note my friend works for the UF football team and he told me Earnest Graham was here last week, i doubt tho that he's been here the whole time tho.

[Sean]

Mckay left us in a salary cap hell that took quite a while to get purged. For all the glorifying of Dungy, with one of the greatest QBs in NFL history, it took him 5 years in Indy to win. Gruden and Allen are doing a good job..ONLY 3 division titles in 6 years is better than laughingstock for 14. BTW, McKays falcons looked real good last year, in case you missed it.......

Graham will get what they honestly feel he's worth. If no one agrees, apply for the job when Gruden and Allen no longer have them. THen we can complain about your player moves.

[True Buccs Fan]

Why don't you guys be quiet and start supporting the team. Gruden and Allen are doing awesome. We have the highest amount of cap space (at the beginning of free agency) of any team in the NFL! And we still won the division. Injuries hurt us last year, which is why we didn't go farther than the first round. Nevertheless, we have a very talented team full of players who are not highly payed. Sure they deserve their rewards, but Gruden, Allen, and Graham have way more information about this situation that we do. So stop crying about it! It will all work out. They know what is best for the team. Too, they are using their money to build up depth. Everything will be OK. OK?!?

[otaibi]

everything is gonna be allright

[otaibi]

everything is gonna be allright

[guigo]

i think he hasnt proved that he could be a featured running back or a solid number 2. He had a decent season coming off the bench but isnt the type that is gonna get you a 5-6 year contract. Plus, theres 3 more other guys who basically proved more then him such as Dunn and Bennet.

True Buccs Fan... you didn't go farther then the fist round because the G-Men were the better team. Perhaps Rhonde & Tiki should have kept their mouths shut! Signed: A NY Football GIANTS fan.

True Buccs Fan... you didn't go farther then the first round because the G-Men were the better team. Perhaps Rhonde & Tiki should have kept their mouths shut! Signed: A NY Football GIANTS fan.

[True Buccs Fan]

A NY FOOTBALL GIANTS fan...

(1) Watch that post button... it can be tricky.

(2) I am sorry to say, but the Giants season was a fluke. They shouldn't have even made the playoffs. Tampa would have solidly beaten them if it was not for the last few weeks of the season when they had NUMEROUS health problems (in fact this concerns the entire season). However, it is not a big deal. They will be better next year (Super Bowl euphoria is over, now it is all about next season - get off your high horse). That they won the division after a losing season is awesome. Coming back to the Giants, I don't know how somebody who looks like a middle school dork can lead a team like that (Tiki was right). His stats show that he is inconsistent at best. 9 out of 10 games, Patriots win, and its not even close. You watch, Pats go the playoffs next year, Giants don't. Fluke city baby!

And all this is coming from someone who really likes the Giants, more so than any other NFL team (besides Tampa of course). I root for them every year when they are actually legit.

[Long live the BUCS!!!]

Giants a fluke? Maybe, but that was last season, and hopefully we are looking forward the upcoming season. Looking at the current running back situation we need to throw Graham a contract of some sort. Offering him a 5 or 6 year deal worth a truckload is probably not the way to go. But let's give the guy something. He filled in very nice for Cadillac, and he does have "Skills to Pay the Bills" so to speak. I would like to see what he could do with a full season as the featured back, and then decide from there as far as a contract where we should go. Looking at what we have left is what is even scarier to look at. Bennett? What the hell was Gruden or Bruce thinking? He was worthless in Minnesota, worthless in KC, and somehow he is going to be the savior in TB! I think not, and if Gruden and Bruce were smart they would be dropping him as quickly as possible. Dunn, I love Warrick, but at some point we all have to stop and wonder how much production does he have left? He was never an explosive back even in his glory years. He was one who just got the job done. I think Gruden and Bruce need to give Graham a nice 2 year deal, and see where it goes from there. In the meantime start looking for a #2 guy, cause as it stands Earnest goes down, we are in a lot of trouble.....

[DR]

True Bucs fan, that was some of the worst crap I have ever read. Holy smokes!
Tiki was right? Whaat? Right about what? The Giants being a better team without Tiki. The Giants lost a crybaby running back who couldn't handle a "mean" coach. A "mean" coach that ran Tiki out of town. Kudos to Coughlin for running that sissy out of town. Then Ronde makes a mistake and starts talking garbage before the playoff game, and look at what happened. The Giants weren't the best team to win a Super bowl, and neither were the Steelers when they won. The Giants defensive line probably played the best we have ever seen in the playoffs.
Don't ever pretend the Bucs would have beaten anybody in the playoffs, even at full strength. They were, maybe, the 15th best team in the league. They had no shot. Galloway's injury wasn't that big of a deal, just a convenient excuse. He disappeared in a lot of games last season. Look at his stats.

[mm]

Joey Galloway 2007 stats: 57 rec 1014 yds 6 td's. Yeah that's terrible.

[DR]

57 catches by a #1 WR, that's way beyond terrible! There are #3 WRs out there that have more catches.

[True Buccs Fan]

Stats like the #1 and 2 WRs on the Giants?

Burress - 70 rec 1025 yds 12 TDs
Toomer - 59 Rec 760 yds 3 TDs

Lets consider these two guys compared to Galloway. Sure, Burress has more rec (13 more to be exact) yet he only got 11 more yds! Wow, he's awesome!!! Burress had a 14.64 yds/rec avg. Galloway... 17.79. Even Toomer caught 2 more passes than Galloway, 254 less yards, and half the touchdowns. And the 3rd WR... Moss, who, if you want to talk stats, does not even deserve to be in the conversation (thanks anyway DR).

So do not give me that "terrible" stat jumbo, you guys are not complaining about the stats on your own team, and they are practically the same as Galloway's. Did you know that the only legit guy in the NFL with a better average than Galloway was Holmes of the Steelers (18.1), and he didn't even have a 1000 yard season.

I say all that to say this: stats are not the most important thing. So stop trying to make things sound better than they really are.

And, if you want to talk states - Tiki is the Giants all-time leader in receptions (474) and rushing yards (6927). Quit being a baby and respect the guy who is, statistically speaking, the best RB in Giants history. He couldn't help it if Coughlin is a jerk. Everyone knows (go ahead and admit it) that nobody likes to work in a place where the boss is a jerk. Besides, Cough-Jerk came along when Tiki had the opportunity to retire with enough money to live comfortably the rest of his life. So he did it, and good for him.

I think I sense some jealousy...

[Kurt & DR [out of the closet together]]

Thanks for this thread True Buccs Fan... Only you could prove that there really is someone dumber than us that blogs here!

[True Buccs Fan]

You know when someone gives up when all they can respond with is an insult, not to mention the fact that they insulted themselves in the process.

[Long live the BUCS!!!]

I am just wondering when we can get off this BS about the Giants, and get back to discussing the real issues for the Bucs. I mean this is the "Bucs Beat". My hat is off to the Giants for last season. They played well throughout the playoffs. However this is a new season, and as a Bucs Fan we have a lot of issues to discuss.......