Defense wins the day

It's Day 2 of minicamp, and the Bucs made a detour from their training facility to nearby Raymond James Stadium for this morning's workout. (See audio slideshow)

The Bucs typically spend at least one day of minicamp at the stadium in order to give the new acquisitions a chance to get familiarized with their new home field.

"We have a lot of new guys who are getting acclimated to the surroundings," coach Jon Gruden said. "This is where it all happens.  This is a good way to kind of wind down -- right here at home."

As for what actually happened on the field, most of Wednesday's highlights came on the defensive end. The defense had the upper hand throughout, as even Gruden admitted. It didn't help that the execution wasn't always solid from the offense, with quarterbacks Jeff Garcia and Brian Griese making a handful of errant throws. Griese was picked off by Cato June on one redzone play, getting his fingers underneath the ball just as it was about to hit the turf. Had it have been an actual game, June likely would have scored on the play.

Some of this might sound disconcerting, but Gruden actually didn't mind it.

"I'm happy," he said. "Sometimes the defense executes, too. The two-minute drive on offense was good. The second time around, the defense stopped us. There were some good patterns and plays in the redzone on both sides. I don't expect it to be a lopsided butt-kicking -- ever. I like the defense to dominate here and there."

Not everyone on offense was out of sorts. We continue to see fullback B.J. Askew utilized in the passing game, which has been a long time coming. He told me earlier this week he has been politicking for more passes to be thrown his way, and Gruden seems to be coming around. The coach said Askew is likely to see the ball more this season and has told the player as much.

You can read more about that in tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times. Also in Thursday's paper, look for some details on Ike Hilliard and his thoughts on the receiving corps. You'll learn he's not nearly as concerned about the talent level as some observers are.

One last note: the Bucs will take a break from the meeting room this afternoon and head to a local bowling alley for some camaraderie. It's a mandatory event for players, many of whom, Gruden said, haven't had much opportunity to get to know one another. Of course, they'll get more than enough of each other when they're confined to training camp for three weeks. Check out video of the Bucs bowling (and, oddly enough, eating) by clicking here.

Comments

[nick]

Im not too worried about it either. We know griese will throw his pick-a-game, and the D used to dominate practice back in the day too! Good!

[JR]

Glad to hear about askew he can be a real positive for this offense.

I wouldnt worry too much about the defense winning the day.
A. the defense is just better than the offense
B. somebody had to wins at least they are both on our side

[cory]

I would really like to see askew get more touches. He is very underrated with the ball in his hands and I'm sure is often unnoticed coming out of the backfield. Thanks for the update.

[Patrick McIrish]

Hold on a second ... you mean that Chuck and his lawless band of renegades are still laying turds on offense?
Sigh

Glad we've got such an offensive genius around these parts.

DON'T MIND ME ... I TRAVEL THE HIGH ROAD

[Tom]

Hey Patrick,
Not many offenses would do well against our defense. Furthermore, the offense typically takes longer to gel. We'll be fine so dig up your "Got Chucky?" t-shirt from your bandwagon days.

[Greg]

Unless the offense can be better then the defense consistently, this team is not going to another superbowl. Even if we have a good defense, they have to be better on offense. The way we won the superbowl before was because we had a great defense and they could over compensate for a mediocre offense. We do not have a proven great defense anymore, we have a good young defense with some older leadership. The offense is still a disappointment. How is an offensive "genius" ok with the defense taking the day?

[Mike]

Thank you for more football related articles. I appreciate it and I know I'm not the only fan who is happy to see more of it!

[Kurt]

This just in Greg: our defense was ranked number 2 last year. We have what it takes to be great again; and maybe these are signs that the day where our defense rules the NFL are back. And I'm really sick of everybody acting like Gruden called himself an offensive genius; those aren't his words, they're yours. He's a great coach period. 3 divsion titles and a Superbowl in 6 years here; those are facts. Quite frankly; I know our offense will be good because our O-line is gelling into a very good, athletic, run-blocking line. Look for a low scoring, run offense, great defense, typical Buccaneer team this year. That's the way Kiffin, Gruden and I like it! Win by submission baby!!!

[the real Nick]

nick you said,"We know griese will throw his pick-a-game".

It would be more correct to say "greise will throw his pick-a-game, that results in a TD"!

[Valrico Rick]

Oh please! Even I am not going to jump on this one. The defense will always look better this time of year, and through training camp, probably up to the second week of the season. Griese better be ready to play quarterback at a high level because Garcia is going to throw himself on a live grenade for a two-yard pickup and probably miss half of the season. If you recall he didn’t even finish week one last year. I hope that Gruden gives first team snaps to Griese because just like last year it will be quarterback by committee and I fully expect that the Saints and Panthers will bring a better level of play than they did last year.

[Skylar]

I think a lot of people overlook the fact that NFL championships are hard to come by. Talent isn't enough, coaching isn't enough, upper management isn't enough. Injuries, schedule, talent, contract distractions, etc. all come into play. As long as we can get through these two contracts and avoid injuries we'll be competitive and have a winning season. That should be good enough for everyone. Landry coached twenty years and is considered by most as one of the best coaches ever; he won 2 superbowls. Gruden's half way there, so let's be more level-headed haters ok?

[Jay]

Stephen, was there any mention of the in-helmet communication devices for the defense? That's an entirely new dynamic that I'd like to hear about. Who is using them? I know Ruud is, but who else? How are they handling it? Does it seem like the calls come in faster?

[Greg]

Kurt - I said we do not have a proven great defense, not that we do not have a very good defense. The D that won the superbowl could control a game, our current D has not proven that. yes they have good stats, but there were many times they did not show the stamina and powess of a winning D last year. The point was that the offense needs to be better if you do not have a proven D that will win the game for you. I hope we will, but I think Gruden focuses on too much finesse on his shifts and disguises and execution is lost. I think his offense confuses the players and does not fool anyone, and the stats prove that. He is a good coach, but we need a great offense.

[Kurt]

Damn good question Jay...

[Kurt]

Fair enough Greg, but i still think people believe that Gruden is supposed to be some kind of Martz, when in fact, he believes in a run-first offense. I believe we are on the verge of just such an offense, and coupled with a stifling defense (which we do have - like it or not) we should be able to do some damage again this year. I respect your comments though.

[Skylar]

Last I checked, Greise was 5-1 as a starter which was preceeded by having the most prolific passing tandem in the NFL (Galloway/Clayton) the final 8 games of the year before. He can throw as many interceptions as he wants if he puts up numbers and wins like he has done for us before. Do you so easily forget? Some people are made for certain systems and I believe Greise is made for the WC offense just as much as Simms isn't! Good pickup McKay - you jerk!

[Greg]

Kurt - GO BUCS!!!

[Stephen_Holder]

Jay, as to your question about the in-helmet system, the answer is I'm not sure. I remember talking to Barrett Ruud about it earlier in the summer. He told me he expected to have linebackers coach Casey Bradley on the other end and said he was looking forward to using it this season. I can't recall who else would be using the system (probably as a backup), but I'll do my best to remember to ask around and let you know what I find out. And yes, that is a good question.

[DR]

Gruden has been here for 6 seasons and has a 48-48 record after 96 games. 6 games behind Dungy's record in the same amount of games. Out of the 3 non consecutive playoff appearances, he has advanced past the wild card round only once. He lost the last 2 playoff games at home. Of course, he has his super bowl year. His offensive ranks during his tenure has been 24, 10, 22, 23, 29, 18. Yes, his offense was ranked 24th their Super Bowl year. The defense won the super bowl. You guys, especially Vince, forget the defense scored 3 TDs in the super bowl to top off the 6 turnovers they created. Dexter Jackson was the MVP, not one of Gruden's pick ups. To no surprise, the Bucs failed to make the playoffs the following year after their defense dropped from the best to the 5th best. If the Bucs defense did not perform to the level they did in 2002, the Bucs would not have won the super bowl.
Thank you Monte Kiffen. Thank you for not leaving us.

[Kurt]

OH MY GOD!!! DR, you just said "us" when referring to the BUCS!!! Hail to the Chief, DR is officially a Bucs fan and no longer a Cowgirl!!! Freudian slip DR...I got you:)

[shane]

lol kurt he finally bit the hook

[DR]

Damnit Kurt, you got me. HAHA! I'm always a Cowboys fan first but I like supporting the local teams. This may sound hypocritical coming from a Cowboys fan, but it was disappointing to see an arrogant p***k like Gruden win a super bowl as a head coach. I know Jerry Jones is perhaps the most arrogant POS on the planet but he did realize he needed somebody to save his franchise he had put under with the hiring of Bill Parcells. Gruden needs to swallow his pride and realize he isn't capable of running a potent offense. He needs to hire an offensive coordinator. I lost a lot of respect for the Bucs when they sold their soul for an overrated coach. That super bowl was won by Kiffen's defense. They don't make it that far without the outstanding play of that defense all season. Gruden was just the guy in charge for the ride. Any other coach could have won the super bowl if that coach picked up some additional talent on offense. Dungy was a play away fron theSB with no talent on offense. Like I said before, Gruden reminds me of Barry Switzer, except Barry Switzer has a better record.

[Ron]

What a Joke. Barry Switzer inherited a Super Bowl championship team and turned them into a 6-10 team in 4 years.

Gruden inherited a good, playoff caliber team and pushed them over the top to a Super Bowl.

No comparison!!

[Brandon]

Skylar,

Are you just in to stats or do you want a QB that can lead us? Last you check the Bucs WERE 5-1... that was in 2005 when the Bucs opened up with a bunch of patsy-teams, most of which had no wins after 4 games and we won those games with a strong defense and good running game despite Griese trying to throw the games away. Do you remember the dreadful performances against Minnesota, Detroit, Green Bay? He was awful and he had no hand in the winning of those games.

Watch the freaking games and quit using stats as your basis for your woeful argument. Griese sucked then... he sucks even worse now.

[Skylar]

I'm sorry if stats are not a worthy basis of argument for you Brandon, but they typically are used by the rest of us as they are the truth of the matter. If you'd like to hear some more stats that support my argument, I'd be more than happy to provide them, like that year that he had the highest QB rating in the league. You know, when he led the Broncos to a 14-2 record and a QB rating over 100. The potential is there as proven numerous times, but bozos like yourself only see what you want to see. Get some facts and retort; don't just show your ignorance.

[Skylar]

btw Brandon, "the Bucs played a bunch of patsys that year" statement has got to be the most ignorant basis for your argument. In the NFL, there are no patsy teams; hence the saying..."on any given Sunday." You need to mature a bit more before knocking heads with the big boys. I like the way you failed to mention that he took our 0-4 team halfway through the fifth game of the 2004 season (after being the 3rd stringer) and led us to a 7-9 record with the most prolific passing tandem (Galloway/Clayton) for the second half of that season. So over the course of basically 1 season, he was 12-6 as our starter and led one of the leagues most effective and potent passing games. Wake up! I know reality sucks in a lot of ways, but there's no reason to ostrich the facts and blanketly say he's no good because Chicago has no offensive gameplan. He was effective in Denver and TB with a bad stint in Chicago, most likely for reasons beyond his control.

[J dubb]

Brandon I completely agree...you can always tell the guys who don't watch the games but sit around on their a** all day checking the stat ticker online just to see who won. News flash: just because a team won doesn't mean everybody played well. In those first 5 games of the season there was a rookie running back who set a record for attempts and yards rushing during that span. Do you know what that means? The Bucs were doing everything in their power to keep Griese ball from throwing those games away!

[Adam]

First of all, stop referring to Gruden as an offensive genius. He lost that title long ago.

[DR]

Ron, Switzer didn't coach a losing team the year after his super bowl. Gruden did, even with the players he signed his first year.

[Drew]

They won the Super Bowl with defense? If you reflect back on the statements John Lynch made about Gruden preparing them for the game defensively. In addition to this, he also stated, it was like we knew what plays they were going run before they called it in the huddle.

The Super Bowl was won not only because we had a stout defense. But more importantly the game preparation (Gruden gets credit for this one).

[DR]

It's not hard preparing for a team that didn't change anything from the year before. The defense still gave up over 20 points that game so preparation wasn't as good as you say they were. They picked off passes on out patterns, the same pattern nobody could run against them all season. Ronde Barber got them to the super bowl with a great read on McNabb. You want to give Gruden credit for that too? If you give Gruden credit for preparation, what has he done since the Super Bowl besides being 8 games under .500? He gets outcoached all the time, that is why his predictable offense has been ranked above 18th only once in his 6 years here. To call his offense a "west coast" offense must be a reference to the west coast of Canada where a whole lot of nothing goes on.

[Brandon]

Skylar, you just proved yourself an ignoramus. Talking more stats about Brian Griese, from when...? 2002...2003? Longer? Griese never had special athletic qualities and over time and injuries (multiple shoulder and a shredded ACL) any athletic ability he HAD is long gone. He's far older than when he was half-decent in Denver.

Griese was AWFUL in those games, doing everything possible to lose those games for us, multiple INTS against Minnesota, dreadful against the Lions, a gift call against he Packers that couldn't be reverseed on replay, etc. He did manage to throw away the game against the Jets.

Chris Simms came on that season and played a lot better. No Simms wasn't great, but offensively, he threw the ball far better than Griese did AND he stayed away from the late game INTs that Griese became so well known for in 2004. In the meantime, he's failed most recently for Miami and Chicago, proving he couldn't beat out such immortals as Kyle Orton, Rex Grossman... and was it Jay Fiedler? He's dreadful... kind of like your posting of stats from Griese from back in 2000.

And BTW, Griese will be lucky to be 3rd string. McCown is tons better and if the Bucs keep 3 QBs then Griese is the odd man out.