Interview with Buccaneers Insider Jim Flynn

  Transcribed 7/12 from Audible Podcast by Sigmund Bloom and Cecil Lammey

Cecil Lammey: My first question has to do with the engine of the offense, Cadillac Williams. What's been the deal with him, how has he looked this non-playing season, in these minicamps, OTAs. How's Caddy doing, and what do you expect from him this season?

Jim Flynn: Well, the Buccaneers have been kind enough to not allow us to watch any of the organized team activities (so far) this offseason, but we still do have our sources, who are watching. We'll actually be permitted to watch tomorrow's OTA practice at Raymond James Stadium, which will be our first full look at the team. From what I'm told, Cadillac Williams has spent the offseason really working on becoming a complete back. He's been working on picking up blitzes, do a better of picking up blitzes, definitely needs to do a better job of catching the ball out of the backfield. These are both things that Cadillac worked on last year, and our sources told us he had made some progress on both fronts, but that really didn't translate to success on the football field - and if Cadillac is going to be an elite back in this league, he's going to have to do more than just run the football. We know he's a good runner. Last year, the Buccaneers, obviously the running game struggled because Chris Simms was injured in week three, a rookie sixth round pick in Bruce Gradkowski comes in, and teams basically stacked the box and dared the Bucs to throw, and that was a good strategy because more often that not, it paid off. Cadillac Williams really suffered as a result of that. The Bucs feel that the addition of Jeff Garcia, should he start on offense, all of the sudden now they have to respect the passing game. That should open up things for Cadillac, but Cadillac has to be able to do a lot more than just run the football.

Sigmund Bloom: Quick follow-up question on Cadillac - you alluded to his struggles last year, and it seems like he really has not been able to live up to that amazing three-game start he had in his career. Is it really a function of team-wide struggles? Is it possible that Cadillac has some lingering back problems, problems with durability, or is that something that we can put to rest and really chalk it up to the team struggles as a whole? Is Cadillac ever going to become the back that he was at the beginning of his career again?

JF: I definitely can't put that to rest. I think that it's a legitimate concern. Cadillac did struggle with what the team called "back spasms" early on in training camp, and it went into the preseason and regular season. He just wasn't healthy, and anybody who's had a back injury, let alone a football player, knows that once you hurt your back - you don't realize how much you use it until you've injured it. So, Cadillac needs to be healthy. He struggled with injuries at Auburn, and it's definitely a concern, but from what I'm told, he is healthy, and he has been participating in the OTAs, and Cadillac, I think his struggles were partly due to the injuries, but a lot of it, I mean it was a domino effect, once Chris Simms went down, and let's face it, this offense was not in a rhythm before Chris got hurt, but once he did get hurt, it was just a domino effect where it just took its toll on the entire offense. If the Bucs offense is going to live up to its potential, some people think this should be a pretty decent offense in the NFL, Cadillac will definitely have to play a part. Otherwise, if he struggles again this season, I think you may hear the almighty "b" word in the same breath as Cadillac, which is "bust".

CL: Definitely don't want to hear that, Cadillac Williams fans out there don't want to hear that. Let's stick with the running back position, Jim, and talk about the backups here. You have Earnest Graham, a guy that I love, never has gotten his chance in my opinion. Now there are several reasons why, but he's just kind of a favorite of mine. Of course, I liked Travis Stephens and look where that got me - nowhere. Let's talk about Earnest Graham, and Ken Darby, the rookie they brought in. These guys, backing up Caddy, the battle for that spot backing up Cadillac very important in case Cadillac goes down. How is that running back battle shaping up?

JF: Well I think that's a great point. It's definitely going to be a battle, and really, I don't see a scenario where both players are going to make this roster. I think it's going to be one or the other. Earnest Graham is a player the Bucs signed as an undrafted free agent out of Florida. They don't necessarily have a draft pick invested in him, but they do have time invested in him. He has the ability to be pretty versatile. He can play fullback, he can play running back. The team just is frustrated with Earnest from the standpoint of, they don't think he can necessarily excel at either position. He can play serviceable at either one, but he can't excel. Darby's a player the Bucs thought would not be on the board when they picked in the seventh round. They felt lucky to get him. From what I understand, at the rookie minicamp, from what little we were allowed to watch there, he was impressive. He did show the ability to become a complete back. He can run - he runs with authority. He can catch out of the backfield. He's got a track record for being able to block pretty well, and those are the things that - I'll say this - If Darby's going to beat out Earnest Graham, it's going to have to be initially as a special teams guy, because Earnest Graham has been able to do that. That's what has earned him one of those 53 man roster spots his first few years in Tampa. If Darby can do that, and the Bucs feel like they have sort of a wash there, then the potential at this point, I think, is more so in Darby than it would be in Graham. Graham is pretty close to maxing out in this offense. The one thing the Bucs might be willing to do is keep Earnest Graham around again for this year, since he is the more experienced player, and try to sneak Kenneth Darby onto the practice squad. Just because he is a seventh round player, if he doesn't show a lot in preseason, the Bucs could probably get away with putting him on the practice squad, and letting him groom under some of the veteran players for a year.

SB: Now we talked about one Buccaneer who started off his career extremely productive and has tailed off - Cadillac. Another guy on a similar path at wide receiver is Michael Clayton. This is a guy who is going to make you shrug your shoulders. What's going on with him? First of all, are there signs that he can return to his 2004 form? Is he getting back together, or he as confused as the rest of us? And what does that mean for Maurice Stovall? Does Maurice Stovall get a chance to maybe beat Clayton out to start this year?

JF: Yeah, that's one of the battles we'll be watching in camp. Really, Michael Clayton is kind of battling himself. I think what a lot of people don't take into consideration, believe me, I'm not making excuses for Mike Clayton - he needs to play much better and return to his rookie form - but at the same time, the one difference in his rookie year, if you remember, is that Joey Galloway had injured his groin early on and was not the player he has been over the past two years for Jon Gruden. Michael Clayton stepped up. He was the primary receiver, caught 80 passes. Once Galloway came back - and let's remember now too, Clayton did not enter the following year healthy. He really did not do a good job rehabbing a surgically repaired knee, had to have surgery again, it really set him back. Then Galloway, in the meantime, became healthy and rebounded, and he became the primary receiver. You only have so many passes, so many balls that can be caught in an offense, and they kind of just switched roles - where now Galloway is the guy catching close to 80 passes per year. I talked to Mike Clayton a couple times this offseason. He said he gets the sense Jon Gruden is going to do a better job of spreading the ball around in this offense, because they want to get Alex Smith, the tight end, involved more, they want to get Clayton involved a little more, and they want to get Galloway, not that they want to take any opportunities away from Galloway, but if everybody else is getting involved more, it just makes the offense a lot less predictable. When Mike Clayton gets those opportunities, he has to make the most of them. He had way too many dropped passes last year. His season ended prematurely because of a dropped pass. He should have had a touchdown against Pittsburgh, he drops the pass, two plays later, his season ends on a knee injury, and that just can't happen. He's a first round pick, and this could be a make or break year for Michael Clayton, especially with a guy like Maurice Stovall, and some of the other receivers playing behind him. The Bucs have a lot of talented wide receivers, and that's not stopping them (from looking for more). Today they gave Antonio Bryant a workout. A former second round pick, although he had some off the field problems and some baggage, the guy's talented. If Michael Clayton's not ready to step up, he has several receivers ready to take his spot. This is a big year for the Bucs and Jon Gruden. He can't afford to have Michael Clayton - I'm not going to say he has to go back and catch 80 passes again and seven touchdowns, but Michael Clayton needs to become another reliable target, and certainly step up when the opportunity presents itself.

CL: Alright Jim, let's talk about who's throwing these guys the ball. Chris Simms, Jeff Garcia, how's that battle going to go down?

JF: I've said from the beginning that I think that the addition of Jeff Garcia is going to make Chris Simms a better quarterback. I don't doubt that for a second. However, this being a big year for the Bucs and Jon Gruden, I don't see Chris Simms winning the starting job. I think Jeff Garcia beats him out, and it probably will be a close battle, but the difference being that Jeff Garcia is just a seasoned veteran that Jon Gruden can rely on, and not only that, but he fits the mold of a Jon Gruden quarterback. He's mobile. He's a fiery guy - not that Chris Simms is not a fiery guy, He's a very good leader and he earned the respect of a lot of his teammates playing with a busted spleen in that Carolina game and leading them back, but Jeff is a guy that I think will win that job. If Chris Simms somehow does win the job, I think he'll be on a short leash. I don't see him having many opportunities to struggle like he did initially last year. I think he'll be on a short leash, and Garcia would be in, and maybe that's a role Jeff Garcia is more comfortable in - coming off the bench like he did for Philadelphia and led the Eagles to the playoffs, so that is definitely going to be a battle worth watching. And don't forget now, Jake Plummer is on the roster as well. He is semi-retired. The Bucs are still trying to lure him out of retirement, because I've talked to people in this organization that feel that Jake Plummer can win this starting job should he recommit himself to football and show up for training camp. Right now the Bucs have that at about a 50/50 shot that he'll come out of retirement.

CL: And hopefully he can pass a drug test. *laughs* Oh, did I say that out loud?

SB: Jim, you mentioned Antonio Bryant being brought in for a workout today. He's an intriguing upside wide receiver, with some problems in his past. They have another guy on the roster, David Boston, who has a similar profile. Let's talk about Boston and the possibility of Bryant. Are these guys that are coming in, possibly in Bryant's case, to make more competition in training camp, possibly even win a role as high up the depth chart as the #3, or are these low risk pickups - let's see if we can get something out of them, and if we don't then we really didn't lose anything?

JF: In David Boston's case, he was with the Bucs last year, he signed a one year deal, worth the league minimum, and it just got to the point where toward the end, when the Bucs had to make their final cuts to the 53 man roster announcement, yes he made the team, he lasted about five days, and then they released him because of injuries at other positions, but he just didn't have the ability to separate. He wasn't fully recovered from the knee surgeries and he had really lost that ability to separate, and lost some speed. However, from what I've been told this offseason, from several sources, they claim David Boston is back, and that he's playing like his former self. If that's the case, that's good news for the Buccaneers, because they could certainly use him. You might see David Boston - I'm not going to say he could work his way into the starting lineup - but you could see him occupy that #3 wide receiver spot. They like him so much, they feel like he's back so back, that their plan was initially to move Maurice Stovall, who had been cross-trained, over behind Galloway at the "X" receiver spot. That plan has been stalled. He's still going to cross train, and now David Boston is working on that role behind him (Galloway). The Bucs are hoping that Boston can stay healthy and prove himself this year because Joey Galloway's going to be 36 this year, he can't play forever. He's an injury away possibly from his career being over, and if that's the case, they want to have somebody with that speed and playmaking ability to step in and make sure that they don't miss a beat. As of right now, they think Boston can be that guy, but again, you have to be skeptical because the guy has suffered from injuries, and hasn't show that he is back in front of the general public, only to the Buccaneers. And in Bryant's case, I think the Bucs took a look at him today, just because they could. He's a free agent. He's a former second round pick. When the guy's on the field, he's extremely productive, and in different places. He was productive with Dallas, with Cleveland, with San Francisco. If he could just get his act off the field straight, and not bring the attitude in, especially to the coaches, I think it would be a great addition for the Bucs. He's done so much damage to himself, that the Bucs could probably get away with signing him to a one year deal for the league minimum that would include no signing bonus. So they really would have nothing to lose there.

CL: My last question for you has to do with the overall aspect and how the fan base is looking at this season, and how the ownership is looking at this season. Is Jon Gruden on the hot seat?

JF: I think you have to say yes. Defining the hot seat, as in, what do the Bucs have to do for Jon Gruden to keep his job? That's the big question that I think we're all struggling to answer. Our guess is that the Bucs will have to go 8-8, have a winning season, and maybe even make the playoffs for Jon to keep his job. One thing to keep an eye on and realize is that the Glazers have a lot invested in Jon Gruden. Four first day premium draft picks, eight million dollars, and the guy won a Super Bowl, their first and only Super Bowl championship. They're not going to just fire him unless they have another coach in mind that they think would not only be able to replace Jon Gruden, but be an upgrade. That's exactly what the Glazers did when they fired Tony Dungy. They didn't try to replace Tony with just anybody. They went after Jon Gruden. They paid an awful lot for him. Unless you see the locker room imploding, the team starts out 0-4 or something like that, and Jon loses his locker room - unless that's the case, if the Bucs go somewhere around 8-8, I think both Jon and General Manager Bruce Allen will get to the last year of their contract in 2008 to be given a chance to prove that they know what they're doing and that they can lead the Bucs in the right direction.

SB: Jim, my final question has to do with the defense, and one of our favorite topics, the draft. We're giving the offense a lot of love, but the defense deserves love too, especially with the draft the Bucs had this year. I felt like they really got their next Simeon Rice, in Gaines Adams, their next cross between John Lynch and Adam Archuleta in Sabby Piscitelli, and their next Derrick Brooks in Quincy Black. Do you think those are fair comparisons and a fair look at how they are going to ease these players in and what they see their roles being?

JF: Yeah, I think that's a great point. Their defense went from #1 overall to 17th overall almost overnight last year. The Bucs didn't expect all of their good players, their aging players, to get old that quickly. That said, they knew they had to go into this draft and replenish it. That's exactly what they did. They used seven of their ten picks on defensive players. They needed safety help, and they got it with Sabby Piscitelli and Tanard Jackson. Sabby's drawing a lot of comparisons to John Lynch, but the Bucs insist he's going to be his own player. A lot more athletic than John Lynch was and maybe isn't quite the hitter than John was, but he's still a hard hitter. He's got to work on his tackling. Early indications suggest that he could replace Jermaine Phillips as the starting strong safety as early as this season. That would make the Bucs feel really good about using that second round pick on Sabby. Gaines Adams, he grew up loving Simeon Rice, now he's trying to take his job. Simeon Rice is recovering from a shoulder surgery. He's in the last year of his contract. Gaines is a player that - I'm not expecting him to win the starting job, I do expect him to get on the football field, probably in third down, obvious passing situations where the Bucs can move Simeon over from right end to left end, then move starting left end Greg Spires out of the lineup, and move Gaines Adams over to the right end spot. Now you're talking about having one heck of a pass rush, or at least that's the plan, and that's something that was severely lacking from the Bucs defensive line. You may even see the Bucs toying with a little more than their Tampa 2 prototype scheme. We're getting big wind of the Bucs toying with using more 3-4 defense and some other creative packages to their best player personnel on the field, and that includes Quincy Black. We were told Quincy might be a starter this year, but Barrett Ruud might also be a starter, and that's kind of a conflict. You say, OK, they're both working at middle linebacker, how does that work? Well, you put two and two together and say, maybe they're looking at playing more of a 3-4 defense than anybody's expecting this year. Definitely keep an eye on that, and I've talked to enough people that expect the Bucs to return to top 10 in defense this year.

CL: You want to talk about top, and #1, you want to talk about Bucs, you talk to Jim Flynn, Pewter Report and PewterReport.com, Jim, as always, thanks for coming on the show, brother.

JF: Thanks for having me guys, and don't hold your breath for training camp, it's not close enough, then again it'll be there before you know it.