Tampa Bay Buccaneers

So I'm sure you read the thread about how we're closing this site. I've created a landing spot for those who wish to continue in the community. It's a no-frills, bare bones, content free, un-moderated, messageboard on proboards. Basically, just a place for those of us who want to stay in touch and continue shooting the ****. pass the word to those who may not have seen this post. new landing spot: http://pigskinheaven.boards.net/

OTA #3-RB Doug Martin talks about the enthusiasm on the practice field and his goal for the 2013 season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have announced the signing of cornerback Johnthan Banks to a four-year contract. All rookies sign four-year deals, per the NFL CBA. Banks participated in all offseason workouts so far without a contract, but has now put pen to paper. This was mostly a formality as there was little room for negotiations under the NFL's rookie salary cap rules. Over The Cap estimated that Banks would receive a four-year contract worth $4.73 million with a $1.82 million signing bonus. So far, Over The Cap has been pretty accurate in forecasting rookie deals. With Banks signed, the Buccaneers now have all of their drafted rookies under contract, with the exception of third-round quarterback Mike Glennon. Quarterback contracts tend to be a little more complicated than non-quarterback contracts, although that shouldn't be a huge issue with the new CBA. Glennon, too, has participated in all offseason workouts so far. Read more: Recency bias, narratives and clutch performers Bucs sign Terriun Crimp, waive Chris Denton How many games will the Bucs win? Training camp preview: offensive tackle

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived wide receiver Chris Denton and replaced him with Western Illinois wide receiver Terriun Crump. Denton was an outstanding punt returner at the University of Mount Union but apparently failed to impress the Buccaneers in OTAs. New addition Terriun Crump is a second-year receiver who went undrafted last year, signed with the Chicago Bears but was released a few days prior to the start of the season during final roster cuts. He spent the past year on the Edmonton Eskimos' practice roster, and was one of the tryouts during Bucs' rookie minicamp. Crump has outstanding size at 6'3", 220 lbs. but isn't overly fast, running a 4.64 40-yard dash at this pro day. He managed 135 receptions for 2,067 yards and 11 touchdowns in his three-year career at Western Illinois. Crump will presumably compete for a roster spot with Steve Smith, David Douglas, Chris Owusu, Jheranie Boyd, Jerry Johnson, Eric Page and Tim Wright. The Bucs can still add one more player before hitting the roster limit. Read more: Recency bias, narratives and clutch performers How many games will the Bucs win? Training camp preview: offensive tackles

Crabtree Says Bucs Talent Compares To The Packers | Pewter ReportAthletically, at least. When will Tampa Bay's next turn to host Super Bowl come? | Tampa Bay TimesNot for a while. [Audio] We talk OTA's with Lee from JoeBucsFan | What The Buc?Good stuff. Stakes couldn't be higher for Darrelle Revis and BucsOh. Buccaneers not rushing DE Clayborn's return from injury | TBO.comWell, that goes without saying. Bucs RB Jeff Demps Still Chasing Track Dream | Sports Talk Florida | When you gotta knowGood stuff on the Buccaneer who won't show up until August. The NFL's great Super Bowl swindle - SBNation.comSecret: Super Bowls aren't that profitable to host. Hakeem Nicks contract: Giants WR reportedly wants a new deal - SBNation.comHah, good luck with that. Steelers quarterback Landry Jones talks about his religion and gay athletes - OutsportsGood stuff. Super Bowl 50 selection culminates long process for Jed York, 49ers - SBNation.comNice view on the Super Bowl. Brian Urlacher announces retirement from NFL - SBNation.comAwwww. Michael Crabtree injury: 49ers WR has torn Achilles - SBNation.comWhelp, there starts a decline. 'Star Trek Into Darkness', as reviewed by NFL rookies - SBNation.comHah, good fun. NFL news roundup: Brian Urlacher retires, Michael Crabtree has Achilles surgery and more - SBNation.comRoundup. Agent's take: Examining what went wrong with the Oakland Raiders - CBSSports.comEverything? Wherefore Art Thou Fullback?Gone. Except for the Bucs. Bucs Give Crabtree Room to Grow | Buccaneers.comTom Crabtree. [Video] Dekoda Watson Embracing Opportunity to Start | Buccaneers.comOne of many, many on-field interviews. [Video] Dashon Goldson: It Already Feels Like a Team | Buccaneers.comThe newest safety. [Video] Leonard Johnson Excited to Learn from Revis | Buccaneers.comHe has lots of competition. [Video] Tiquan Underwood on New Receiver Recruits | Buccaneers.comAnother position with lots of competition. [Video] Strength and Conditioning Focus for Bucs | Buccaneers.comAlways a focus. [Video] Coach Bob Bostad Talks O-Line Strength | Buccaneers.comHurray. [Video] Mike Glennon Finding His Place in Bucs Offense | Buccaneers.comMore quarterback. [Video] Mark Barron Ready for Great Things in Secondary | Buccaneers.comGood. [Video] Akeem Spence Describes First Practice as a Buc | Buccaneers.comViolent. [Video] Dashon Goldson Fitting in with New-Look Secondary | Buccaneers.comMore Goldson. [Video] Josh Freeman Excited About Talent Behind Him at QB | Buccaneers.comMore Freeman. [Video] Adrian Clayborn Ready to Make Next Step on Defense | Buccaneers.comHopefully he can come back. [Video] Steven Means Talks Transition from MAC to NFL | Buccaneers.comTalented guy.

Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers added Tom Crabtree this offseason, they did so in hopes that he would be able to take a step forward and prove he’s ready for a bigger role in an offense lacking a true number one tight end. Crabtree was just one of many potential targets in the Green Bay, and now finds himself in Tampa Bay where the competition is perceived to be less steep. And while it may just be an act of goodwill towards the team that’s giving him a chance to earn a bigger role in the offense, Crabtree things that the competition in Tampa Bay is just as fierce. In fact, he went so far as to compare the talent to that of the Green Bay Packers. Pewter Report’s Mark Cook quoted Crabtree as having said the following about his new teammates: “Man, I’ll tell you what – being here for a month, some of the best, just gifted athletes I’ve been around. Some really talented guys. That’s not taking anything away from Green Bay. They’ve obviously had talented guys, as well. But coming here there’s been no dropoff as far as the athleticism and the talent of guys.” Crabtree may be a bit biased towards the team who offered him a contract versus the team that neglected to offer him a restricted free agent tender, but he may also be on to something. Are the Buccaneers as talented as the Packers? Let’s quickly go position by position and see if the Bucs’ newest tight end has a point. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports Quarterback: This one is easy. No matter how you feel about Josh Freeman, you can’t say he’s better than Aaron Rodgers. Advantage, Green Bay. Running Back: This one is just as easy. Doug Martin is miles ahead of anyone in Green Bay. Advantage, Tampa Bay. Wide Receiver: The Packers lost Greg Jennings, but still have Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, and James Jones. The Buccaneers counter with Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, and a mix of players competing for the third wide receiver job. Nelson is injury prone, and Cobb and Jones may be producing over their talent level thanks to a great quarterback, but the fact that the Packers roll three deep here means they have the slight advantage. Slight Advantage, Green Bay. Tight End: I’m not a big fan of Jermichael Finley‘s talent, but the Buccaneers have nothing to stand out as better than him, so Advantage, Green Bay. Offensive Line: The Buccaneers have this one in the bag once everyone gets healthy. The Packers have a couple of solid linemen, but the Buccaneers have some of the best in the business. Advantage, Tampa Bay. Defensive Line/Pass Rush: These teams run different systems, so this is tougher to judge. So I’ve included Clay Matthews in this group to give a more level playing field, and because of that, Green Bay comes out ahead. Advantage, Green Bay. Linebacker: With the way I have broken out the teams, Clay Matthews is a part of the pass rush section listed above. That means that Lavonte David is the best linebacker left between the two teams, and Mason Foster is good enough to give the Buccaneers a slight edge here, along with the potential that Jonathan Casillas brings. Slight Advantage, Tampa Bay. Secondary: The Packers lost Charles Woodson, and the Bucs lost Ronde Barber. That’s where the similarities end. The Bucs are clearly better at this position, with Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis dwarfing anyone the Pack have to offer. Advantage, Tampa Bay. Special Teams: Mason Crosby used to be a pretty reliable guy, but fell off last season. Connor Barth has been reliable. As for the punters, Tim Masthay and Michael Koenen aren’t that much different, but a slight edge goes to Masthay. On kickoffs, the Buccaneers were the best in the business at kicking for touchbacks, and Green Bay was below average. But Green Bay’s return game was much better than the Bucs. This section is a Push. So in other words, there is no clear favorite here, when we

Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports Now that the bulk of the offseason has really wrapped up, and we have a better feeling as of who’ll be where, Vegas has released a host of gambling lines on the 2013 season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are projected to be a middle of the road team by all accounts, but if you are like me and think they’ll be a contender, we have a chance to make some money. I’m here to show you how. (Editor’s note: Please gamble responsibly, and follow any applicable laws that affect gambling in your area. The advice in this article is not guaranteed to make you any money, as good as Ken may be!) The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently set at 7.5 wins. But there is a slight caveat to that number as the over pays -140 and the under pays +120. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports For those of you who aren’t everyday sports gamblers, that means you would have to bet $140 to win $100 on the over, and only have to bet $100 to win $120 on the under. In other words, the line is set at 7.5 but the house has a feeling it’s more likely to be a little bit higher. My initial thought when the schedule came out was to say 8 to 9 was the likely range. Based on the rest of the offseason since the schedule release (namely the Revis trade), my conviction toward 9 became a little bitter stronger. I’d place some money (and I’m going to) on the over. 8 wins would kind of be a disaster the way I see it right now. 8-8 is simply not good enough and heads would likely roll if this were the outcome. And that still qualifies as over for this betting line. Anything less, I don’t even want to think about. Let’s move on to the division. The Buccaneers are set at 5/1 to win the division ranking them third behind the Falcons (Even money) and the Saints (2/1), just ahead of Carolina (11/2). My gut tells me the Saints are the pick here, as much as I want to throw up all over my keyboard writing that. But I wouldn’t bet them at 2/1. All four teams have a great shot at winning this division, and the way the South usually goes, it’s almost always a surprise. I’m gonna lay some money down on both the Bucs and the Panthers. $10 pays me $50 on Tampa Bay and pays me $55 on Carolina. That’s a net winnings of at least $40, and I get half the division. Maybe it’s just me, but I have the South as an incredibly tough division, and all four teams face difficult out of division schedules. Wouldn’t say I truly believe Carolina or Tampa Bay will finish atop the division, just saying it’s the right bet. How bout bigger and better things? Our Bucs are currently sitting at 20/1 to win the NFC Championship. I hate this bet, and I’ll tell you why. It has nothing to do with the Buccaneers actual chances to win the conference, because I think they are better than 20/1. But why bet 20/1 to win the NFC Championship, when you can get 40/1 for the Bucs to hoist the Lombardi Trophy? 20 extra dollars on every dollar I bet to win just 1 more game? Sign me up. So here’s how you play it, or at least how I would. Put $10 down on the Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers. That way, if it happens, you are taking $400 to the local bank. But now let’s take a little risk out of it. Let’s say the Bucs squeak in as a 6 seed, they’ll probably be underdogs by a couple of points in the opening round. Put $10 on the Bucs losing, and you’ll probably collect about $5-7 profit. Bucs lose, you bet $3-5 to win $400 (because you got back some of your original outlay). Bucs win, we’re still in the mix here. Divisional round, drop $20 against  your dearly beloved. Bucs lose, you recoup the $10 we lost last round, and cut into our initial investment, but if the Bucs win, we’re just two away from those big 4 bills. Now we’re into the NFC Championship. You’re out $30 from hedging your bets to get us this far. At this point, you g

Tampa Bay believes TE Tom Crabtree has the potential to produce at a higher level, given the opportunity, and the former Packer is excited about the opportunity

Boldin moves into No. 1 slot Michael Crabtree suffered a torn Achilles tendon during OTAs Tuesday and will soon undergo what could be season-ending surgery, a person informed of the injury told USA TODAY Sports. The 49ers haven't commented yet on the injury, which used to be an automatic season-ender but has since become one that can sometimes be rehabbed in a matter of months - as Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers DE De'Quan Bowers did last year. Both players tore the tendon in the spring and returned to the field after starting the year on the physically unable to perform list. (USA Today) FF Today's Take: Crabtree is coming off a breakout season in which he had career-highs in receptions (85), yards (1,105) and touchdowns (nine). The major difference between Crabtree and players like Suggs and Bowers is that Crabtree's position requires him to plant and cut much more. Anquan Boldin moves to the top of depth chart and stands to be a solid fantasy WR3 at the very least. This also means A.J. Jenkins will most likely be counted on more heavily after a disappointing rookie season.

New Buccaneer tight end Tom Crabtree talks to us about his first year in red and pewter, his involvement in social media and meeting his new Tampa Bay teammates.