Gruden concerned about running game

Jon Gruden expressed concern about injuries to running back Earnest Graham and tight end Alex Smith during his weekly news conference Monday at One Buc Place.

Graham injured a knee during the Bucs' 30-27 overtime win over the Chiefs Sunday in Kansas City and is being evaluated, Gruden said. His status is uncertain.

Smith left with an ankle sprain after making a sliding catch on a two-point conversion pass with 19 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. He is being evaluated.

"Those two guys in particular we're worried about,'' Gruden said.

With running back Warrick Dunn (back) and fullback B.J. Askew (hamstring) already sidelined, this week's bye couldn't come at a better time for the Bucs' ground game.

"The bye, I think, it's going to help us,'' Gruden said. "Our running back situation in particular is very concerning for us.''

While they wait for their injured players to return, help could come from a couple of unexpected places.

The Bucs got a lift on Sunday from Clifton Smith, an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State who was promoted from the practice squad little more than a week ago. Smith returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, ran for 17 yards and caught a pass.

"He helped us not only in the kicking game, but from scrimmage,'' Gruden said. On those final couple drives, you saw a lot of Clifton Smith as a runner and receiver, picking up the blitz. ... It's a real credit to him.''

Also, Cadillac Williams, sidelined more than a year with a devastating knee injury, will be on the field in pads this week and ''could possibly be of help to the team,'' Gruden said.

Comments

[Vince]

For everyone out there that keeps calling for Bennett, did you see Clifton Smith crush a Chief's defensive end on a chip block late in the game? (Same play that Penn was called for a penalty). It takes a lot more than speed to play in this offense. Smith is fast, shifty, smart, tough and plays RB and -- big plus -- returns punts and kicks. His kickoff return has almost gone unnoticed?

Big knock against Bennett -- not football smart, does not pick up blitz well.

[Leon - Palmetto]

No mention of the Ronde Barber situation? Is he being cut, placed on injured reserve, demoted to practice squad? What gives? The guy has been a cancer on the field all year. Our goal is to win, yes? We don't better our chances of winning with him out there. Indeed, it worsens. Against a team less hapless than KC and they'd burn him for 6 with ease all afternoon. Save the nostalgia for the off-season. Throw him a ticker-tap parade if feelings are hurt. But address the cancer NOW, not when it's too late and has metastasized into more losses and a 1st round road playoff blowout loss.

[Jay]

The Bucs keep finding these gems in the running backs. Clifton Smith, even with the fumble, impressed enough to earn a roster spot. He's fearless on kickoff returns, and can obviously break a poor tackle. I hope he gets a lot more reps in practice and game time. I guess the writing is on the wall for Bennett, Galloway, and Dexter Jackson (not the Superbowl MVP).

[Kimbo]

Leon, Ronde Barber is arguably the best CB in league history. I don't care if he has to hobble out there on crutches, he's still better than most other guys. He didn't blow any plays yesterday as the double coverage got messed up. Put your hate aside and enjoy Mr. Barber while he's here and you still can.

[SnarkyBark]

Leon,
I wish I could say you were wrong, but the reality is #20 is looking like he needs to be the 3rd down nickel back and not much more. It can't just be us fans noticing, because teams are throwing to his side more and more as the season wears on.

Somebody has some explaining to do on the 2nd round selection of Dexter Jackson, easily the biggest high draft choice bust in memory.

teams used to avoid ronde barber, now they deliberately throw his way because the opposition always holds the match-up advantage

[Todd]

I have to agree with the Rhonde bashers. I don't know if his heart just isn't in it anymore, if he's jealous of Tiki's new career or if he's just showing his age, but he has looked less than stellar this year. He has been picked on in certain games as if he were a rookie! I love Rhonde, but he's got to step it up!

[John Klopfer]

I unfortunately agree with Leon, Barber has lost a step. Maybe he should be used exclusively as a nickel. If he keeps up his present skill level...his nick name is going to be "toast." Its a shame because I am a big Ronde fan. A couple of other thoughts...In limited action on Sunday Bennett demonstrated why he is receiving limited action. Though most of us feel the Bucs stretched a bit on the Dexter Jackson pick (especially with quality WR on the board) the jury is still out...he may develop sometime within the next 10 seasons...then again maybe he won't. In his defense sometimes in takes a player a season or two to adjust the NFL.....just wish we would have taken him in the 3rd or 4th round.

[Tim]

Kimbo must be drinking the Obama Kool-aid to think that Barber didn't miss any plays? Were you not watching when he let the QB run right by him and catch that TD? How about the horse coller last week that ended up costing them 7 points? Or, the 85 yard TD against N.O....etc..etc.. He has been burnt numerous times this year. What is more concerning is the personal fouls. Maybe his head is not it in this year.

[Tom]

Go back six years and the same thing was said "right here" about John Lynch who went on to quite a few more pro bowls if I remember right?... Give Ronde a break, he is owed that much.

[miamivex]

You people are a joke when a player has a bad year you start bashing him? Ronde is still better than most other teams have at the positionI sure am glad you people dont run the team if you did there would be no team. Lwet me see you bums go out and play to the leve he has for all these years and see if you have a bad game(or season) every now and then

[Rick]

I've got to agree with tim and the other guy's, Ronde Barber has been burn't alot this year.
I think that maybe it's time for him to be replaced at the CB position, It seams that he's doing things to compensate for his lack of agility and speed, and let's face it he's getting up in age for a corner in the NFL.

[Maureen]

I think everybody understands politics and how you cannot simply cut or send Ronde Barber to injured reserve. His pick in Philadelphia has earned him a place on this team until he's 60, if he so chooses. But hopefully HE steps up and makes the call, and thus takes the onus off the team. Maybe they can use him exclusively on special teams in non-crucial situations. Maybe have him on the kickoff team. There are places that he can be put and essentially hidden, yet still be a part of the team. He's still a great morale and bench guy. I would create a coaching position for him RIGHT NOW and say it's yours, at the same salary number for 3 years for further thanks for that pick in Philly.

[Donovan]

The Bucs need for replacing some of the old talent is clear. Everyone loves the years of success with all our veterans, but the veterans have new roles to fill. Brooks, Galloway, and Barber are the teachers to the Bucs next generation of players. After years of service to their team, they need to give back to the next generation by tutoring their backups' all the talents and experience they were blessed with. It's how franchises circulate talent. Just look back to those that learned from the likes of Jake Reed, Jerry Rice, and Hardy Nickerson to become great starters in their own right.

[Marc McAffee]

The incredible audacity of anyone watching, Rondes play as of late, and then consider defending him for the sake of nostalgia is ridiculous. Ronde is a professional and should be expected to perform at a peak level all of the time. He is making rookie mistakes. He is getting challenged and beaten weekly. If he falls one more time (after he has been beaten) I will lose it. Please give him a lesser role..Use his experience on the sidelines and in the locker room..But do not excuse his poor performance. I love the guy too, but he is a professional, and should understand the business of the game.

[Matt]

Ronde is getting embarrased every week.
He looks like a shell of the player he once was.

When Brooks looked shakey at the start of last season it was a couple of games. This is getting out of hand.

His penalties are driving me nuts, and is it just me or is he 10" shorter than every WR in the league?

It doesn't get much worse than being schooled by WR Thigpen.

[MacFtgY]

The NFL is not Pop Warner. It's a business. If the Bucs are willing to sell their collective souls to the devil to bring in a guy like Jerramy Stevens, then they should easily be able to take Ronde aside and say look, this league is about winning, you're not helping us win, it's time to go. Period. Brooks had an off day at the outset of the season, but has since returned to form. Barber's situation is different. He's been burned repeatedly -constantly- all season long. The Bucs are winning IN SPITE of him, not BECAUSE of him. The wrting is on the wall when every week, he plays horribly and nobody wants to talk about it because it's Ronde. If Ronde was the true PROFESSIONAL that he professes to be, HE should step up and bench himself and/or retire. Does HE not realize that HE is hurting the team? Is he just plain selfish?

[bruce]

when thigpen takes you to school it times to retire...aint no worse then that...i love barber....have a huge poster of him on my wall which my wife hates...its in the bedroom and im 41 years old...says it embarrasses her...oh well its ronde and im his number 1 fan and have been since day 1...but it may b time to go...

Nostalgia is overrated. Living in the past is very unhealthy. The Bucs must live in the present and look to improve this club for the future. The Super Bowl year is gone. The clock goes forward, not backward. We aint going to be revisiting that time period ever again. It's gone forever. But what we can do is change the future. The Bucs culture is to blame. In any event, that win felt like 2 wins because we sure as F should have lost that game. That was a steal. As a fan, I'll take it. In the NFL there are no easy wins, even though on paper it may seem like there is. Every week is a grind.

[Michael]

Gruden haters, pay atterntion. In the off-season, all I heard on here was about how Gruden was probably trying to find a way to get rid of Ronde Barber and Derrick Brooks. They pointed out how the Bucs got rid of John Lynch and other players. Well, this is WHY THEY DID IT. Does anyone remember when the Patriots were in the middle of winning 3 Superbowls in 4 years what people were saying about them? They wernt afraid to get rid of a player a year to soon, prefering to do that then get rid of him a year too late. While I am not saying the Bucs should have forced Ronde into retirement, they probably should have reduced his playing time, as they with Derrick Brooks. However, I think its also worth pointing out that the Bucs are playing ALOT less Tampa 2 this year, and its quite possible Ronde is just having a hard time adjusting to it.

[teddy]

i dont care if we loose i still want to see #20 on the field it just wouldnt be buc ball without #20 go ronde and dont lissen to the haters

[IMISS_No47]

Here something that I have noticed: The Bucs D has always been aggressive for generating turnovers. The coaches harp on it and the points are desperately needed because of the offense's lack of production. However, could it be that the defense is trying too hard to generate turnovers and it's hurting them? This year it seems the defensive players are trying to jump routes instead of covering their man or stripping the ball instead of tackling. It's a gamble: miss the ball and you can miss the play completely. Try to strip the ball and your man doesn't go down immediately. I know it sounds crazy, but is it possible to emphasize generating turnovers too much? Are they getting away from laying big, physical hits on people? I'm not criticizing the Bucs D...I love em and they save the day all the time. I am interested in hearing other people's thoughts on this idea since I haven't heard it brought up.

[Marcus]

Did that Kimbo dude just say Ronde Barber is arguably the best CB in league history? Wow, I'm from CT so I know about delusional fans, but that has to be one of the funniest things I've read in a long time.

What Ronde Barber is going through is not uncommon for elite athletes. Generally, they don't leave the game ala Barry Sanders. No, they usually leave far too late and as complete shells of themselves. There are scores of examples of this phenomena, and we're watching one such example unfold right here in Tampa. Fans are definitely delusional. I guess that's why they're fanatics. Truth, objectivity, and reason are thrown out the window. Ronde Barber is NOT the best CB in league history Kimbo. Come on, man. Just like everyone wants to make Alstott a Hall of Famer. He's simply not. He was a great player for Tampa and left it all on the field every week. That's all you can ask for. Back to Barber. It's painful to watch a once great athlete regress so markedly, but he's just one of many who have done that. This will clearly be his last year and my lasting memories of him won't be his embarrassing 2008 campaign, but instead the rest of his numerous accomplishments her in TB.

[MrNegative1]

Ronde Barber is old but experienced. Cancer is a term for someone who tears a team apart...Ronde keeps the team together....so lets drop that term. How did the Patriots win...I saw that post about cutting guys a year sooner then later...well, actually, they picked up guys that other teams cut a year sooner then a year later....guys like an aging Rodney Harrison, an aging Junior Seau, and a host of others...the Patriots are known for bringing in cancers and getting contributions out of them. They are known for cutting guys that want more money. Shrewd, unfair, and untrustworthy is the best way to describe the Patriots organization...and it worked.

Ronde will be a valuable assett in the playoffs. I will bet that as the season winds down and teams do start throwing at him, he will respond with some key picks.

We shall see

with the way barber is playing now him and dexter jackson should be washing cars and not be out on that field...sorry but thats the way it is ladies.

[oar]

Guys, Ronde is still a great player. That play yesterday was a catch 22; cover the qb for the reception(????) or come up to help the reverse run(much more inclined). As for the rest of the year he has been burned a few times yes, but he slipped on two of them. I think his pluses(3 pass def, 1 sack, 34 tackles) still out way his black marks. He does have an nfl record 22 sacks, 33 ints, 11 ff, and 4 tds.

[JOBBER]

I SAY THE BUCS SUIT UP THE ENTIRE SUPER BOWL YEAR ROSTER FOR GOODNESS SAKE IS IT NOT IMPORTANT THAT YOU NOW STINK> RONDE BARBER DUE WHATZ RIGHT AND EFFFING RETIRE> WE LOVE YOU YEAH YEAH YOURE GREAT NOW SIT THE EFFF DOWN> IM OUT>

I'm with 'oar' - His good still far outweighs his bad. I'll stand by Barber for the remainder of the year.

[Opinion Master]

the pass rush sucks and db's, and it seems Barber is the most obvious, but all db's suffer with the lack of a pass rush.

that said, I also agree Barber is having a sub par year, but so was Brooks last year early on, and he turned it around.

LEt's just let Monte decide who plays and who doesn't, shall we.

[uctgr67]

Leon is right, watch Ronde's play this year. Unexplainable. He is constantly late in diagnosing and covering plays. He either falls down or gets burned for a big play. Is something going on with him that we are not aware of?

[JV]

Enough about Barber, yes, he is not the CB he once was. But, he is still better than most. What is hurting him and the D the most is not having Phillips. Sabby is still learning, thus requiring Jackson to stay close to Sabby and it pulls him away from the T2 coverage. Raheem is going to have to adjust his coverage. Talib is still young. Bucahnon is not big enough. Sabby needs to learn and learn fast. The safeties have the most responsibility and Sabby needs to learn quick.

[DR]

Marcus, I agree. Kimbo's statement about Barber has to be one of the funniest and dumbest comments ever made. Ronde is a great CB in a zone scheme but has never been a great man to man cover corner.
He got beat on a great trick play. That play would have worked against every CB on the Bucs roster and in the league. Nobody expected that. It was a great play. Last week he was over matched. Not many CBs can guard Roy Williams on an island in the end zone.
I agree that Barber isn't the same Barber he used to be, neither is Brooks, that is what age does to you, but neither of these guys are hurting the defense to the point of being a cancer. Their experience and leadership are invaluable to this team.

Did you say the second round pick was Dexter Jackson? I thought it was Reidel Anthony out there.

[Mediocrity]

Cut whomever you like..but i'm staying as long as Gruden's coach in Tampa!!!!

[Jay]

Man-to-man corners never last very long in the league, so I actually agree that Ronde is probably the best the NFL has ever seen. Follow me with this...

As great as Deion was, he was only good for a few years, and then when his skills diminished, he was absolutely horrible and couldn't contribute in ANY way. Champ Bailey, as great as he was two years ago, hasn't lived up to his name either. His stats are all about INT's and has 3 sacks in his entire career.

Ronde, on the other hand, as a hybrid cornerback (because he does play man as well as zone) has been nothing short of revolutionary for both this defense, and for the league. Name another CB you trust to blitz off the corner, or even up the middle, yet still be able to shut down the likes of Steve Smith year after year, had to help contain Michael Vick, defend against Brett Favre (in the NFC Central days), Daunte Culpepper (with Randy Moss) and Donovan McNabb - while playing the WHOLE field, not just the receivers.

So while players like Deion, Bailey, Darrel Green, of old and Lito Sheppard and DeAngelo Hall of today's NFL are arguably some great CB's, NONE of them would have been able to do what Ronde Barber does week in and week out for almost 12 years now. For those of you who say bench him, let me ask you one simple question: Who would you replace him with? Talib? Buchanon? Ronde has given up a few big plays this season, no doubt, but even then, he's better than 90% of the starting CB's in the league, and 100% better than any other CB on the Bucs. You can disagree with my opinion, but I challenge you to prove me wrong.

[MELANIE]

RONDE BARBER THE BEST CB IN NFL HISTORY?? HELP ME UP BECUZ I JUST FELL OFF THE TOILET...AND FORGOT TO FLUSH BASED ON THAT RIDICULOUS STATEMENT...HE'S BEEN A GOOD CB FOR US BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR HIM TO GO LAY ON THE BEACH OR HIT THE STRIP CLUBS...HIS CAREER IS OVER AND IT SHOCKS ME THAT PEOPLE ARE UNWILLING TO SEE THIS...YOU'LL SEE IN THE BUCS NEXT GAME WHEN HE GETS SMOKED REPEATEDLY AND HE'S SLIPPING AND TRIPPING UP AND DOWN THE FIELD LIKE A DRUNKEN SAILOR SEARCHING FOR HIS CAR KEYS.

[DR]

Jay, I completely disagree with your assessment of Ronde Barber. He's not even comparible to Sanders or Green. I'm disgusted that you even mention Barber's name with Green and I'm a Cowboys fan. Your argument for Barber is his longevity and Green is the picture you see next to longevity in the dictionary. Sanders shut down half of the field. The names you mention are straight up man coverage guys while Barber has always been a zone coverage guy. You will see an argument against Barber when he retires that he was a product of the system he played in which is probably true, but he played almost perfectly. Don't get me wrong Barber is a great player but he is not even close to the best.
You mention D'Angelo Hall for whatever reason and he is not even the best CB on his team. Nnamdi Asomugha is the best CB in the league right now. Give me a 7 game stretch where Barber had only 8 throws go his way and then you can talk about how great he was. I'm not saying this guy is better than Barber career wise but Barber has never been respected in the manner Nnamdi Asomugha is being respected right now.

[ben bolt fan]

This offense is one Dimensional because of the o-line. This line is c- to a c grade only. They cant move a pile and cannot create holes against the worst rush defense in the NFL!!! Thank goodness Trueblood still jumps offisdes other wise the field goal in OT is a miss. Need a new o-line coach or different players. Graham has zero buiseness playing full back. I think his two fumbles are a direct result of blocking and not thinking about just running. Also he has to do extra work just to get back the line of scrimmage because of this o-line. You saw what the G men did to Dallas on Sunday through the air. There line blocked for there QB. Remember Clayton noted after the Dallas game last week that there were receivers open only if the line would block better. That is what holding back this team.
P.S. kiffen had his defense make some adjustments in the second half and only aloud three points. Great coaching!!!!

[Fresno State Grad]

You Buccaneers fans are lucky to have Clifton Smith around. The dude is uber talented and spending time in the same dorm as him at Fresno State, there's no doubt he's a confident guy.

[Greg]

Leon and you bunch are not critics, you are idiots. You were the same people trashing Clayton and Garcia and Gruden and ...... Then when they have a good game you bite your lip and hope no one calls you on your stupidity. Barber got beat on a trick play pretty badly. It was a darn good fake. It happens. Maybe, just maybe Barber has been able to rely on fairly experienced palyers to play hs position in the past, and maybe just maybe he does not feel confident with a fairly inexperienced backfield so he is not palying his game. But just wait, when he intercepts a pass for a touchdown, or sneaks in for another sack that saves a scoring drive, you idiots will be biting your lips again, hoping someone does not expose you for the fair weather fans you are.

[DR]

Wow, Greg and whoever this last moron was are in a different category of stupidity. Greg, there is no question that Sanders was a sissy when it came to tackling players but he is a two time super bowl winner and pro bowl player every year. He locked down hald the football field. Thats what made him famous. The mouth was his sidekick. Barber can't hold his jock when it comes down to man to man defense. Doesn't even sniff it.
Barber didn't make the pro bowl last year so why will he this year???

Ronde Barber for the Pro Bowl?? Hey, I hope you're right, but he's lucky to have a job. If he was part of any other club, he'd have been given his outright release already. Smarten up.

Ronde Barber for the Pro Bowl 2008,

Dude! Who pushed your button? You've got to be from New York with a mouth like that. Did your mother ever wash your mouth out with soap?

[Jay]

Hey DR,

I know the Darrel Green thing hurts, because he was so good for so long, torturing your boys. Respect given and understood there, but truth be told, he wasn't as dynamic as Ronde. Granted, he was absolutely SPECTACULAR as a man-to-man guy, probably the first true shutdown corner in the modern era, but could he blitz off the corner? Play run defense? I mean, I really cannot say enough good things about DG, but he played his position as it was designed, and he played it exceptionally well. Now, could he play a zone scheme as well as Ronde Barber? Probably not. I included DG into the comparison because he was solid all the way up to the end. But that's apples and oranges.

As for Deion, I'll stick by that assessment, and I'm sure you'll agree. When Deion was on, and healthy, he was one of the best - it just wasn't very long.

I like Asomugha and what he and Hall are doing in Oakland, but man, that whole team is horrible. Other teams only throw at him 8 times as a sign of respect, and also because they know that there are so many other ways to gouge that defense for yards, that you don't even have to tempt fate. Why go at the one good guy on the team when there are so many other bad ones to exploit? So if you're going to fault Ronde for being part of a great scheme, then you're going to have to fault Asomugha and DeAngelo for being in a horrible one. And I hate to keep going back to it, but being a great man-to-man CB for two years is common. Let's see him do it for over a decade, and we'll start talking.

But since we're talking scheme's again, how many other teams play the Cover 2 / Tampa 2 configuration? The Colts? The Bears? The Lions? Maybe the Packers and the Seahawks. Not a single one of those teams can say they have anyone half as talented or as dependable as Ronde Barber. So if you say he's the product of the scheme, you'll also have to admit that there are teams running that same defense who don't measure up, because they lack the talent. That's justification for saying Ronde deserve HoF consideration. He's the first CB EVER to join the 20 / 20 club. Scheme or not, you have to be impressed with that kind of skill.

[ws]

Greg-right on! Calling those guy idiots (with no life or football knowledge)was spot on and kind brother. Also, I love the fact that the Gruden haters are always crying like little teenage girls. It is going to be fun listening them cry year after year, while most of us sit here and support Gruden and the Bucs (and enjoy ourselves)! Maybe the should become Tennessee fans (that don't know sh.. about football). Go Bucs!!!!!!!!

[Piper]

Leon, Ronde Barber is arguably the best CB in league history. I don't care if he has to hobble out there on crutches, he's still better than most other guys. He didn't blow any plays yesterday as the double coverage got messed up. Put your hate aside and enjoy Mr. Barber while he's here and you still can.

Posted by: Kimbo | November 03, 2008 at 12:04 PM

KIMBO, DID YOU NOT WATCH ANY GAMES THIS YEAR? You cannot keep giving free passes to players who suck, I don't care how good they were in the past. It's called "the past" for a reason! Fans like you are the reason why players hang on too long, embarrasing themselves and their teams. Like Ronde getting beat on a route by a QB for 6. If you don't call that an embarrasment, you're high.

[DR]

Jay, its not hard for a CB to blitz. You blitz CBs if you're confident in the defense behind. A product of the system. Ronde is a great system CB. He had good stats last year and his peers ignored him in the pro bowl selection. Why? He is just an average man to man CB. If he was expected to play man to man for most of the game, he wouldn't be starting right now.

[Duane Davis]

As for Dexter Jackson being a "bust" after one season. Oh C'mon.
As fr biggest bust? Has anyone forgotten Broderick Thomas, Keith McCants, Reagan Upshaw, "Booger" McFarland, Kenyatta Walker, Reidel Anthony, Jacquez Green. Those were all No. 1 or No.2 draft picks.