Interview With Jim Flynn: From The Pewter Report

  Transcribed 6/19 by Cecil Lammey, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

CECIL LAMMEY: It's time yet again for another edition of The Audible, the Footballguys.com Podcast. I am your host Cecil Lammey, joined with my co-host, the great Mr. Sigmund Bloom. We talk football nonstop on this show so let's talk some Tampa Bay Buccaneers football and to do that, we go to the VIP line, hit up our good friend from the Pewter Report and PewterReport.com, it's Jim Flynn. Jim, what's up brother?

JIM FLYNN: Hey, how's it going guys?

LAMMEY: Going real good. As we were saying off the air, there is no offseason, only a non-playing season and we are in it. When you look at the Buccaneers, a lot of the news recently has been revolving around one of their quarterbacks. Jeff Garcia, he said he was willing to walk away from the game and then he comes out and he says well, after this season or he's looking at alternative options. What's the real story here with Jeff Garcia? We're going to see him at the Bucs in '08, right?

FLYNN: I believe so, and if Jeff Garcia decides to retire and not head into the 2008 season - or even hold out for that matter - then the Bucs will have more than one grievance out there against a quarterback. Right now they have a joint grievance with the Broncos for as much as $7 million against Jake Plummer who chose to remain retired instead of playing for the Bucs after they traded for him. And Jeff Garcia signed a two-year contract and received a $3 million signing bonus so the Bucs, they've made it no secret they will attempt to go back after that money if Garcia retires early. And you know, Jeff Garcia just wants a new contract and I think most people would agree, that he's scheduled to earn $2 million in base salary. He has $2 million in unlikely-to-be-earned incentives. So I think most people would agree that he does deserve a pay bump, the problem is, he's 38 years old, and yes he went to the Pro Bowl but you could argue that was by default. I mean, he didn't put up the greatest numbers in the world and he did get injured last year. And when he returned he didn't play that great. So the Bucs have some reservations about throwing a ton of money his way but at the end of the day I do believe the Bucs want to make their starting quarterback happy. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bucs worked something out with Garcia before training camp began, but let's face it guys. It takes two sides to negotiate these deals. The Bucs have gone on record as saying they want to negotiate a new deal with Garcia, but we really have no idea what he's asking for.

SIGMUND BLOOM: The list of disgruntled Buccaneers looking at their contracts, feeling they're underpaid does not end with Jeff Garcia. Ernest Graham has also been not showing up at some OTAs. Definitely wants a bump up from a little over $600k that he is slated to earn this year. How long does this situation go on before maybe it starts to cut into Graham's role in 2008? Should we read into the team's reluctance to sign him to a big long term deal, as maybe them viewing him as not a full time starting back?

FLYNN: Well, that's another great question and certainly a topic that's been hot here in Tampa. Ernest Graham is - again the Buccaneers want to take care of him. He's entering the final year of his deal like Jeff Garcia is, but at the same time this is the first year Graham has come out and established himself as a guy who could carry the ball on a full time basis. Before that, he was an undrafted player out of Florida, just trying to make the roster and make his impact on special teams. So the Bucs have some concerns as to whether or not last year was the exception or the norm for Ernest Graham? Not only that but come January, Ernest Graham will be 29 years old and the Bucs, if they're going to have to throw a certain amount of money into the running back position they might feel like it's better served going into an extension for, let's say, Cadillac Williams for couple years down the road should he return to health and become a free agent, the Bucs might see the money better served there. Or Steven Jackson next year when he's scheduled to become a free agent in St. Louis. Or anybody for that matter. But that's what the Bucs are trying to debate internally. They went on record as saying they want to extend Graham, but I think Ernest Graham is looking for a little more money than what the Bucs want to pay him and right now Jeff Garcia is participating in voluntary workouts, whereas Ernest Graham is not. Will he show up for mandatory minicamps in two weeks? I believe he will and if he doesn't this team is ready to move on without him because Warrick Dunn and Michael Bennett have been taking the majority of reps. And in practices we've been able to watch, they've been playing quite well. And Jon Gruden loves Warrick Dunn, so I have no doubt in my mind that this team will move on without Ernest Graham and probably file a grievance against him if he chooses to hold out. I don't think that would be a good decision on his part. At the same time, I can see where Ernest Graham does deserve a little more money than what he is being paid now.

LAMMEY: And Ernest Graham's agent? Drew Rosenhaus. So no comment on that. But, let's continue with that running back talk and you mentioned it - Warrick Dunn is back. And I've always said this about Warrick Dunn: What a phenomenal player, but what an outstanding person, simply a heart of gold. Great veteran leader. So tell our listeners Jim, what it's like to have Warrick back with the Buccaneers after his years with the Falcons and the type of influence that he'll have there. You know, there are some veteran backs there with the Buccaneers but I mean, this is Warrick Dunn, when he speaks people have to listen.

FLYNN: Well, Warrick Dunn has always been a great character guy, and I can tell you from the times we watched him here, we wondered when the Bucs re-signed him, he's 33 years old, you wonder how much he has left in the tank especially for a guy who is 5-foot-8, 185 pounds maybe? And has rushed for over 10,000 yards but from what we see, it looks like he still has a lot left. I don't think he's going to be the primary ball carrier but he will have a significant role, especially as a pass-catcher. We've seen the Bucs running a lot of screen plays with the running backs, so you can expect to see that a lot in Jon Gruden's offense this year. But Warrick, yeah there is no debating, there's been a lot of conversation here about Jeremy Stevens and obviously he has some character issues, especially from his past, that have come to surface from that Seattle Times report in January. But for every Jeremy Stevens, the Bucs do have some players like Warrick Dunn, and I think that having Warrick Dunn back here - there's not a lot of guys left from the Bucs team he played with then, but I think you'll see that Warrick Dunn is going to be a good locker room guy. A lot of the guys I've talked to, guys, they believe he's going to help replace the presence Mike Alstott had in the locker room, from a leadership standpoint.

BLOOM: Jim, staying on the subject of replacing Mike Alstott, the Bucs went out and got B.J. Askew last year, although now it's come out that he was battling injuries all year and wasn't quite as productive as they had hoped, however the team gave him an extension they gave him a pretty big contract - $8.6 million for a fullback. Is that a sign that we're going to see him play something closer to the role that Mike Alstott played? Is he also going to have a part in this backfield and a bigger part than people expect?

FLYNN: Yes, especially if Ernest Graham does not play or holds out or what have you. B.J. Askew did a good job in the limited opportunities he had. He's definitely a better lead blocker than Mike Alstott was. And I think that's the role he'll serve on a full time basis, but you will see him catch the ball. He did a good job with that last year. He really - he was plagued by a leg injury but showed a great amount of toughness playing through it. He got to rest it a little bit towards the end of last year, but that really hurt or hindered his efforts for a while. So I don't think we've seen the best of B.J. Askew, but this guy is probably the best blocking fullback they've had here since Lorenzo Neal back in the late 1990s. The one thing I can tell you is the practices we've watched, we did see him carry the football which is not something we saw him do last year. So, I think the Bucs might be toying with the notion of giving Askew some carries in some different situations.

LAMMEY: OK Jim, I've held back long enough. I have to ask you about a great rookie quarterback that is a favorite on this show. We've interviewed him a few times. He was profiled on DraftguysTV. Of course, it's Josh Johnson from the University of San Diego. This guy really impressed us, with the type of decision making that he has as a quarterback. Because he is a quarterback. If you put aside the fact that he is a phenomenal athlete, very fast, great runner, great scrambling ability. This guy first and foremost is a quarterback. He knows how to look of defenders and get the ball down the field through the air. Now with quarterback guru - is just a great matchup. So please share in the love for Josh Johnson with us and tell us what you've seen from him and also, when can we expect him to take you know - this year we're not probably going to see anything from him outside of the preseason. But when can we expect - and when do the Buccaneers want - Josh Johnson to be their quarterback of the future?

FLYNN: Well, believe me, your secret is not safe with me guys, because I remember you sharing your love for Josh Johnson up at the Senior Bowl when we saw you guys. If I'm not mistaken you'd just returned from the East/West Shrine game and Josh was obviously pretty popular guy after that game. Josh Johnson is a guy the Bucs did not expect to be there in the fifth round. And they drafted him - he became the seventh quarterback on this roster at the time, if you count Jake Plummer. And it made seven quarterbacks that the Bucs acquired with seven different picks under Jon Gruden in seven years. So a lot of people made fun of the Buccaneers, or had some fun with them for taking a quarterback, but you can make a great argument for why the Bucs should have. Jeff Garcia is 38. Brian Griese is 33 years old. Luke McCown is in the final year of his deal. Jake Plummer is retired. Bruce Gradkowski obviously wasn't going to have a future here, and Chris Simms will probably suffer a similar defeat. So they needed a quarterback of the future. Josh Johnson - the numbers he put up in college were just amazing. And Doug Williams really went to bat for the Buccaneers. He was a great ambassador for Josh Johnson. And he has a lot of familiarity with the West Coast Offense, which I think is going to help him out tremendously. He's been working a lot in the practices we've seen. He hasn't been getting a lot of reps in the team drills, but he has been working closely with Greg Olson the quarterbacks coach, and Jon Gruden. And I think the way the Buccaneers view this is: Bruce Gradkowski got thrown to the wolves early - probably too early. And the Bucs look back and admit that as much, so I think they want to take their time with Josh Johnson. They feel like they have a good prospect, and that said, I think this is going to be a redshirt type of year for him. And the Buccaneers do not want to see him on the field this year. If he gets on the field, it means bad things have happened at the quarterback position for the Bucs. But down the road, a year or two? The team is quietly hoping that this is going to become a guy that a lot of teams wish they would have taken him in Rounds 1 through 4 and the early part of 5. He just has a lot of upside. Probably needs to add some bulk to hold up in the NFL, but you're looking at a guy who can potentially be a Michael Vick type guy on the field, except he probably has a better arm in terms of arm strength and arm accuracy. He was a guy certainly worth taking in the fifth round for the Buccaneers.

BLOOM: Jim, the second wide receiver has really been a nagging position for the Bucs to fill since that great rookie year that Michael Clayton had. It's early, and I know y'all just got to see OTAs just this week, but is there anybody with an edge - Ike Hilliard found that fountain of youth last year, we've got Clayton and Stovall returning and we've got Antonio Bryant getting his third or fourth or fifth chance. And then even some guys like Chad Lucas and Paris Warren who have flashed at different times. Is it really wide open, or is someone starting to step up and claim that job?

FLYNN: You know, as of right now, I can't say anybody stepped up, and I think it's on of the reasons why the Buccaneers went out and re-signed Jeremy Stevens, even though they had Ben Troupe, John Gilmore and Alex Smith already on the roster at the tight end position. Just because I think Jon Gruden believes he is going to be running an awful lot of three and four tight end set ups this year. And that's one of the reasons why, because of their inability to find somebody to solidify that number 2 receiver spot. Ike Hilliard, like you said, found the fountain of youth temporarily, but then was plagued by two injuries, which has kind of been the story the latter part of his career. And then Maurice Stovall showed a lot of promise in training camp and preseason, kind of faded before the regular season started and then suffered a pretty severe broken arm, which put him on IR toward the end of the year. Michael Clayton has been able to stay healthy, but he's got to step up and make sure he takes advantage of the passes thrown his way and return somewhat to his rookie form. He's never going to put up those numbers again in this offense with Joey Galloway here. But at the same time, he scored one touchdown in the last three seasons. That's just unacceptable for a former first-round pick. So Michael Clayton, this is a big year for him. And Antonio Bryant has a chance to resurrect his career. The practice we watched on Thursday, he really showed some flashes of being his former self, but again consistency is what the Bucs are looking for at that position. Different guys step up at different times, but they need somebody that's going to be - if they could get somebody who is half as consistent as Joey Galloway, they'll be sitting quite well going into the 2008 season.

LAMMEY: You're listening to The Audible, on the VIP line it's Jim Flynn from the Pewter Report Magazine and PewterReport.com. Now, Jim, my final question for you - we talked about him just a little bit earlier, you brought him up. It's Cadillac Williams, the running back that the Bucs had such high hopes for. Jon Gruden has recently come out and said that he is 'well ahead of schedule.' So give our listeners the latest on Cadillac Williams and what can we really expect from him in 2008 and beyond?

FLYNN: Well, Cadillac suffered a torn patella tendon, which is not a good injury especially for a running back. I'm of the opinion that's the type of injury that could potentially end his career. And until I see otherwise, I think he's in danger of having that happen. Especially when you consider he wasn't playing that well before he even got hurt. So it'll be interesting to see how he bounces back. What I can tell you is, it is true - he is ahead of schedule. The team believes he has a chance to be ready for training camp. But guys, I have to tell you, if I was a betting man I would say - I'd bet that Cadillac Williams will be placed on the PUP list, the Physically Unable to Perform list, on July 25th when the Bucs report to camp. And I would expect him to be there for the six weeks and then the team will evaluate it after that, but they've given themselves insurance policies. Especially when Ernest Graham reports and plays for the Bucs, which I think he will. Cadillac is in no rush - the team won't have to rush him back on the field. They've got Warrick Dunn, and they've got Michael Bennett and Ernest Graham. Cadillac would be afforded the time he probably needs to have a chance to return to 100% health and get back on the field and play well. And remember now, the Bucs have a top-five pick invested in him, and they do not want to rush him back on the field to have him suffer some sort of setback. So my guess is we will not see Cadillac Williams on the field this year, but it is true, the team feels like he's rehabbing well and is ahead of schedule.

BLOOM: Jim for my last question, I want to revisit a name you just brought up - the one wide receiver who has been consistent: Joey Galloway. Now we saw him suffer that shoulder injury late last year. He came back for the playoff game and was clearly not himself and the severity of the injury was confirmed with offseason surgery. Now, he's producing at an age - rarely do wide receivers stay as productive as he is at his age. Is there a chance - is the team worried about him getting totally back from that shoulder injury? Does it seem like he's going to be able to be beating that age? I mean really he looks as fast as he has his entire career these last few years. Does it seem like he's going to be back and be his old self or are there more questions than the team is letting on?

FLYNN: You know what guys, if it was a shoulder - I'm sorry, a knee or ankle injury or foot injury, I would be more concerned. But the fact that it was a shoulder injury that he had surgically repaired? You know what? What I've seen from him this offseason, he looks just as fast as he's been - maybe even faster. This guy, he's 36 years old - he'll be 37 in November so you definitely know you want to watch him. But the one thing is, he could probably play into his 40s if he can just avoid that serious injury - especially at this stage in his career, being 36 years old. If he can avoid that serious injury, I think Joey Galloway will play for several more years, not just this year and you know, let's face it guys, the Bucs need him to. Because you saw what happened when he was pulled in that Giants playoff game, you saw what happened to the Bucs offense. It did not look good. Teams just stacked the box and dared the Bucs to pass. They did it but without success. So I think Joey Galloway will be fine. I feel much better - and the team feels much better - about the fact that it was a shoulder injury as opposed to something on the knee, ankle or foot.

LAMMEY: You love the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? You have to check out Pewter Report, check it out at PewterReport.com and read what Jim Flynn has to say. Jim, as always we love what you have to say about the Bucs man.

FLYNN: Thanks for having me guys.