Out of curiosity I traced all of the teams that went 0-7 in the last 20 years. I wanted to know what the average week they got their win was and how many games (on average) they won. I know this has no implications on our season, but my thought behind this was there has to be a breaking point. I wanted to find that. At some point teams are able to put it together enough to come out on top for at least 1 week. Below is a chart that tracks all of these teams.

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In case any you haven't been watching this season's "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV, former Buccaneers' first round draft pick Marcus Jones is participating in this year's competition. Jones was selected 22nd overall out of the University of North Carolina as a Defensive End.

Although Jones was huge (6'6 270) he never really panned out for the Bucs. His career lasted seven seasons, but the only two years he was really productive were 1999 and 2000, in which he tallied 7 and 13 sacks respectively. I think it would be fair to say that he was a pretty gigantic bust. The reason for this may have been found on last night's episode.

SPOILERS AHEAD

In an interview prior to Jones' absolute destruction of a man 6 inches shorter than him (Mike Wessel)on last night's episode, Jones stated that he "never developed a head for the game" and never really loved to play football. He went on to state that he has put all of his life into being the best MMA Fighter he can be.

As a Bucs fan, I was pretty taken aback by this admission. It explained so much. I guess part of me realizes that you can't blame the guy for entering the draft, and obviously he can't help where he gets picked. But he strung us Bucs fans along for seven long years while we waited for him to live up to his potential. Obviously that day never came. Now to sit there and hear him pretty much just say that he was just never that into it is extremely disappointing. Was he that good of an actor? Is he just making excuses for a failed NFL career or did the coaching staff keep rewarding a player with a roster spot that didn't really have his heart set on producing on the field.

Just something to think about. Obviously this old news, and has nothing to do with the current plight of our beloved Buccaneers, but it still bothered me and I thought I would do a little write up about it. What do you guys think?

For the record, Jones did really impress me his Jiu Jitsu skills, he arm barred Wessel in about 30 seconds. It would have been nice to see what he could have done on the gridiron had his heart been in it.

So, I was reading about the Chiefs and their poor record today, and noticed that during one of the Chiefs' "legacy games", the coach was wearing the coach's polo for the Dallas Texans. Would you want Raheem Morris to wear the old orange, white and red too this Sunday? There's more past the jump...

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vs.

Overview: After a much-needed week off to nurse some bumps and try to get the nightmare of the London Massacre out of their domes, the Buccaneers return to the field this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium for a tilt with their former NFC Central rival, the Green Bay Packers.  The Bay of Pigs, as Chris Berman donned it.  Both teams come in looking to turn their seasons around, but for different reasons.  The Packers come to town fresh off of the receiving end of a William Gay-esque trucking courtesy of Adrian Peterson and the Vikings.  The Packers actually held up ok against AP and the Viking rushing attack on Sunday (allowed 110 yards), but surrendered 4 TD passes to the ol' gunslinger in an emotional homecoming at Lambeau.  The Bucs come in looking for something, anything, to spark a fading, winless team following a curbstomping on the other side of the pond at the hands of the Patriots.  Moreover, there are growing rumors among media outlets of off the field issues between the head coach and certain players.  Well, the future is now in Tampa, as the Bucs have given the keys to the offense to rookie QB Josh Freeman in what will be his first career start.  However, the Bucs are going to have to establish a consistent running attack to have any chance to sustain drives against the Packer defense.

3 Brief Keys to a Packer Victory:

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I'll be honest–I didn't like Freeman from the get-go, when he was drafted, and that was probably a mistake on my part. But, that's not really important at this stage. Skip past the jump for more...

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Well, I've noticed a certain tendency among fans recently to rate draft picks for the Bucs next year. Being one part college football fan and one part pro ball fan, I'd like to hazard my guesses at what the Bucs should consider for next season. Go on past the jump...

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Training Camp, 2006.

Setting: Outside the hotel at Celebration in Orlando, Florida.

Characters: My friend Jay, Cadillac Williams, Joey Galloway, A Shuttle Bus and Michael Clayton.

The players were leaving the hotel and heading toward the shuttle van which was sent to take them to the Wide World of Sports, where the Buccaneers held training camp before moving to the new facility at One Buc Place. We experienced three noteworthy players, the rest were scout team and backup players. Here's how it went down:

Wide receiver Joey Galloway walks over to a crowd of about twenty or so fans stand along the sidewalk behind ropes and security. He signs a few autographs, waves and gets on the bus.

Cadillac Williams walks out the front door and toward the shuttle, approximately 30 yards. As fans plead for autographs, he walks to the van, clearly gearing up for practice with his studio-style headphones covering his ears.

Michael Clayton walks out the front door and to the bus, ignoring the crowd. He is not wearing headphones.

        Jay: Hey, Michael!

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This first entry will simply an introduction to me.

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If any of you gentlemen (and perhaps ladies) ever read my fanposts and comments, I think I have made it pretty clear about what I think about Josh Freeman. Now, let me begin this post by saying that I hope Freeman will succeed. I just don't expect him to.

I have stated many times that I thought the pick was idiotic. That we should have started Leftwich or Johnson this year, and drafted one of the premier QB's coming out in 2010's draft. No use crying over spilled milk though, what's done is done as they say.

My question I pose to you, Bucs fans, is this: how long are you willing to trust the future of the franchise to Freeman? He is most likely going to go out there and stink it up. How badly though? What if he pulls a Ryan Leaf, who was benched after nine games with the San Diego Chargers. As bad as it sounds, I don't think it's out of the realm of possiblity that Freeman could put up similar numbers. Leaf actually won his first two games in San Diego.

I guess I'm just worried that if Freeman goes out there and does horribly, that the team will go ahead and write off next season as Josh Freeman learning experience 2.0. At what point can you pull a first round draft pick and say "This kid just doesn't have it." Do they turn their backs on Freeman after nine games as a starter if he posts a 39.0 passer rating (as Leaf did). Leaf was also notorious for his problems off the field and with the San Diego media. It would seem that Freeman is above that thus far, so we have to remove that negativity from the equation.

I know it's ridiculous to compare Freeman, who hasn't even taken a snap yet, to Leaf. Yet you have to remember though, Leaf was drafted right after Peyton Manning, and many scouts thought he would actually be a much better NFL QB. Let's not forget that Leaf's pedigree coming into the NFL was MUCH better than Freeman's. He was actually a winner in college (took Washington State to the Rose Bowl) and almost won the Heisman Trophy. Freeman doesn't have any of these stats, but does have the same "tools".

While going the route of Leaf is obviously the worst case scenario; what is the best? I would say that if Freeman could come out and play like Jay Cutler did as a rookie I would absolutely love it. Cutler also came from a bad team (Vandy, though in a much more competitive conference), impressed scouts with his natural abilities, and was considered by some scouts to be superior to both Vince Young and Matt Leinart (those guys should have given raises). He was inserted into the Broncos line up late in November, 2006. His first game was a bit rough. He went 10-21 for 143 yards, two TD's and two INTs. Cutler looked a little better the next week, and got a win in his 3rd start. Obviously, we all know what happened after that. He became a pro bowler in his 3rd year in the NFL and brought two first round pick value in trade to Denver.

Obviously this years Buccaneers are a far cry from the 2006 Denver Broncos, we don't have anywhere close to their core set of players. Yet, I still think that Freeman could possibly follow the career path taken by Cutler. Recent reports about Freeman's weight gain and lack of preparation ring a bell as well. Similar things were being whispered amongst Cutler's doubters in 2006.

So which will it be Bucs fans? Do you think Freeman will follow the career path of Ryan Leaf or Jay Cutler? I'm sure it will be somewhere in the middle. If Freeman does stink it up like Leaf, would you be willing to sit and watch him continue to fail next season, only to have to address the QB situation in 2011? Should the Buc's consider taking a more proven college comodity like Clausen, Bradford, or McCoy and trying to trade Freeman to a team that can afford to let him sit and learn for a few years?

I know it's crazy, but it might be the best move if he goes out there and looks completely overwhelmed. This situation grows even stronger legs if Morris is let go after this season.

The staff at Buc 'Em got into a little debate over the weekend regarding the merits of selecting kickers in the early rounds of the NFL draft. I thought it might be wise to bring some facts to the table.  Here is a list of all kickers drafted in Rounds 1-3 since 1989 and their FG% for ranges 30-39, 40-49, and 50+.

This was meant only as a brief look and not a true scientific study. Some caveats to keep in mind:

*Not all kicking environments are equal. Most of these kickers however, were drafted into good kicking environments. That makes sense from the standpoint of drafting into your teams home-field strength.

*I included 3 years worth of averages to show the trend. Its not fair to compare elder statesmen Hanson and Elam to just the 2008 league average.

*A good chunk of the huge increase in league average is due to modern day strength and conditioning and a deeper talent pool. Remember, these are league averages. You might expect early picks (projected as elite) from 10 or 20 years ago to come closer to 2008 league averages. (Yesterday's best = Today's Average Theory).

*I included Pro Bowls just for fun. Not a great track record for the drafted elite. Pro Bowls are not at all a great measure for properly evaluating talent however.

My take: Given the huge increase in the league average, I do not deem it a wise use of an early round draft pick for a kicker. The median and even bottom tiered kickers are far closer to the best kickers than they were 10 and 20 years ago. The track record of this sample is a truly mixed bag, so project-ability is no sure thing.