Defense To Be Dismantled? Huh?

Well, here I am driving home, listening to sports radio, and the little dog opens up with how Gruden looks to be tearing apart the defense and is going to do nothing but sign offensive players. Then some people actually called in and agreed with this! Um...last time I checked, the Bucs had nothing on offense and did have the Number 1 defense last year. As such, they've been drafting offensive players a little more than defense, but they still used a second round pick on Ruud, and then picked Zemaitis with a 4th round pick this past off-season. Both of these picks are right in the normal area that the Bucs usually select these positions (corners in rounds 3-5 and LB's in rounds 1-2). Now I imagine what set off Duemig was the combination of his buddy Booger being shipped out with rumors of trading Kelly also floating around.

As I addressed the other day (just before my wife's computer crashed, thereby keeping me from posting further), McFarland was unproductive. How unproductive? From 97 to 99, his best three years with Sapp next to him, Brad Culpepper (an undersized, overachieving NT) had 23.5 sacks. In a little over 7 seasons (6 seasons worth of games), McFarland recorded 20 sacks. While he was a good guy and all, McFarland's production never came anywhere near his physical ability, and wasn't even on par with an average DT. In 6 years of very limited play, Wyms has 11.5 sacks, including 2 this season, versus McFarland's nada. So Booger was shipped off because his play didn't merit a roster spot on this team, much less his salary. The UT position has to disrupt, and he failed to do that. Wyms played a lot against the Bengals, and the result was impressive. I continue to contend that the Bucs pillaged Indy for some huge spoils (2nd round pick); arrrr!!

As far as Kelly is concerned, he'll be demanding a larger salary this off-season, and he has a degenerative foot condition that is making him miss games. The Bucs would love to keep Kelly and pay him solid money, but he's starting to miss too many games, and that toe never seems to heal. So you can understand the nervousness of the Bucs in regards to keep that critical DB spot filled with a solid corner. Despite the rumors, Kelly is still here.

Let's be realistic here. Gruden now has the receivers, tight ends, and running backs that he needs for his offense. He may have just found his QB, and the offensive line is starting to play some damn good ball all around. The offense really doesn't have holes to fill, at least not like the defense. I am 100% sure that Kiffin is going nowhere, and the Bucs will draft DL and Safety with two of there top three picks (all in the first two rounds, now. Thanks Tony!). The Bucs may also use that $27 million to go after one or two top defensive linemen and/or safety help. The Bucs may or may not be looking at the Will LB spot, though I think Winborn may ultimately be Brooks replacement long term. But I won't be surprised if a high pick is spent there also. I will be shocked if the Bucs don't reload the defense this off-season. Brooks and Barber will still be here. As will Quarles. Kelly will be here if he heals up. If not, the Bucs may need to move on. Everyone else is on the table, including Rice. Of the defensive linemen, Rice and Hovan are the one's most likely to return as starters next year. Safety is also a big unknown. Allen looks like he's shaping into a solid safety and will likely continue to start, but I think Phillips is gone, or will be relegated to the back-up role.

Overall, in my opinion, while I agree that Gruden wants to put a lot of points on the board, I don't think he's ready to destroy the defense in favor of it. He, Allen, and Kiffin probably all recognize that some young top talent is needed to refresh this defense and keep it humming for years to come. The old players can't play at the top of their game forever.