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      Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2010 Team Needs

      February 11, 2010 /

      As part of our 2010 NFL Draft coverage, I will be breaking down positional needs for all 32 teams, starting in reverse alphabetical order. Next up is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Check out other team needs by clicking here.

      1. Defensive Line
      The Bucs have needs at every position outside of quarterback, but they’re in good shape with 10 selections in this year’s draft. Their top priority will likely be their defensive line, which has become a weakness under the new regime of Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik. If either Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma’s Gerald McCoy fall to them at No. 3, it’s hard envisioning a scenario where Tampa would pass on upgrading the interior of their defensive line. If both tackles are gone at that spot, then they may address their need at safety with Tennessee’s Eric Berry or hope to trade down and snag one of the defensive ends (Jason Pierre-Paul, Brandon Graham, Corey Wootten or George Selvie) that would be available later in the first round. But no matter how things shake out for them at No. 3, the Bus will attempt to upgrade their defensive line on draft day.

      Outside Linebacker
      Upgrading the strongside linebacker position is one of the Bucs’ top priorities this offseason and now that Geno Hayes (who had a breakout season last year) will be sidelined for 3-4 months after undergoing surgery in late January to repair a torn labrum, weakside may need to be addressed as well. Tampa signed Angelo Crowell to a one-year contract last offseason, but the deal blew up in Dominik’s (who overpaid) face after the oft-injured linebacker missed the entire 2009 season when he tore one of his biceps in August. It’s doubtful the Bucs bring him back seeing as how he can’t stay on the field and was plummeting past Quincy Black and Adam Hayward on the depth chart before being placed on IR. Black is adequate, but the Bucs need more playmakers on the defensive side of the ball and could use one of their early round selections to beef up the strongside position.

      3. Safety
      Tanard Jackson is entrenched as the starter at free safety, but the strong safety position definitely needs to be addressed this offseason. Sabby Piscitelli proved that he’s a liability in coverage and quite frankly, he wasn’t that great against the run either (which was supposed to be his forte). Bringing back 31-year-old, injury-prone Jermaine Phillips isn’t the answer, so taking a player like Berry at No. 3 makes sense. The question is, will Tampa take Suh or McCoy if either of them fell at that spot? Good safeties are hard to find in the draft, but Suh and McCoy are two prospects that have the potential to anchor a line for years to come. Either way, the safety position opposite Jackson must be addressed.

      Cornerback, receiver, running back, guard and offensive tackle are needs for the Bucs this offseason as well.


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      NFL

      Why the Heat want Amare

      February 11, 2010 /

      John Hollinger expounds on the rumor that the Miami Heat are…um…hot on the trail of Amare Stoudemire. Such a deal would almost certainly include Michael Beasley.

      Additionally, there are two different angles that make such a deal intriguing. First, let’s say the Heat trade Beasley for Stoudemire, who then opts in to his $17 million deal for next year. If the Heat can find somebody to take Cook’s $2.1 million deal off their hands at the trade deadline, they would have enough cap space to sign another free agent starting in the $10 million to $12 million range to join Wade and Stoudemire. Maybe that’s not enough to get LeBron or Chris Bosh, but it could bag them the likes of Rudy Gay, David Lee or Carlos Boozer. Plus, the addition of Stoudemire would likely take the doomsday scenario of Wade’s potential departure off the table.

      If the Heat acquire Stoudemire and he opts out, that adds risk for Miami but also might be even better. The Heat could offer Stoudemire a long-term deal for less than the max and still make the case to him that he would come out ahead financially, both in terms of security and the total dollars, since he could get six years with the Heat on the open market as opposed to only three years if the Heat gave him a contract extension.

      If his deal started in the $13 million range, Miami could create enough cap space to sign James (or Bosh) to a max deal in addition to retaining Wade and Stoudemire. That’s the home-run scenario, and given the apparent lure of Miami for Stoudemire — he is from Florida and wants to play for a winning team, so presumably he would stay — it’s a possibility worth contemplating.

      For the so-called “home-run” scenario (landing LeBron), the Heat would have to acquire a big man (Stoudemire or Bosh) and hope that the Cavs flame out in the playoffs. I just don’t see LeBron leaving Cleveland if the Cavs make the Finals and he’ll almost certainly stay if they win a title. (Unless, of course, he takes the tact of “I brought the city a championship so now I can leave triumphant.”) Anyway, the more disgruntled LeBron is at the end of the season the better the chances that he lands in Miami.

      If Miami does trade for Stoudemire, I doubt Bosh lands in South Beach. They could go with a twin towers approach, but I’m not sure how the two players would co-exist in Miami’s offense. If a deal for Stoudemire could be had, the Heat should pull the trigger because a bird in the hand (Amare) is better than two in the bush (Bosh), and the move would almost certainly convince Wade to re-sign.

      As for Phoenix, would the Suns agree to a deal that was centered around Beasley? Earlier today, I suggested a David Lee-for-Stoudemire swap, and I think the Beasley move would be comparable. Beasley isn’t the player that Lee is right now, but he’s five years younger and he’s under contract for the next three seasons. (Lee will be a free agent this summer.) I think this is about as good as the Suns are going to do, and they should probably do something because it sure looks like Stoudemire will opt out after the season.


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      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Five blockbuster deals that should happen (but probably won’t)

      February 11, 2010 /

      The trade deadline is just a week away, so I thought it would be fun to play puppet master and propose a few blockbuster trades that should happen, but probably won’t. Let’s start with the least likely and work our way to the most credible. (Honestly, I had this idea before I hit the ESPN NBA page this morning and saw Chad Ford’s similar piece. Don’t worry, we don’t suggest any of the same trades.) Click on the link to see each trade in the ESPN Trade Machine.

      1. Amare Stoudemire for David Lee
      To make the salaries work, the Knicks would also include Jared Jeffries and Chris Duhon in the deal.
      Why the Knicks should do it: Stoudemire had his best years under Mike D’Antoni and would welcome a reunion. He’s also a big name that would encourage another superstar to join the franchise this summer, and he’s more likely to re-sign with the Knicks because New York is the media capital of the world. They’d also benefit from clearing Jeffries’ salary from the books, leaving around $13 million in cap space to sign a big name (assuming Stoudemire does NOT opt out of the final year of his deal).
      Why the Suns should do it: David Lee is a great fit for the Suns’ up-tempo system and he’s almost as good as Stoudemire (PER: 22.1 vs. Amare’s 20.2) at about 60% of the cost. Phoenix would pay a little more this season and have to take on Jeffries’ contract, but they’d have a young All-Star caliber power forward to build around. If they stand pat and Amare opts out, they stand to lose him with nothing to show for it, as they only would have around $4 million in cap space if Amare bolts.
      Why it won’t happen: Phoenix won’t want to take on Jeffries’ contract for next season without a commitment from Lee to re-sign for a reasonable salary. He was asking for $10 million per season last summer, but his price is probably going up after making a push for the All-Star Game in 2010.

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      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Are the Mets out of money?

      February 11, 2010 /

      According to FOX Sports.com’s Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, the Mets are out of money, which is why they haven’t been able to land a starting catcher or a fifth starter this offseason.

      Two of the teams that could benefit from signing free-agent catcher Rod Barajas — the Mets and Rangers — appear hamstrung by complications at the ownership level.

      The Mets, outbid by the Padres for catcher Yorvit Torrealba, are out of money, major-league sources say — a curious position for a team that spent $66 million on outfielder Jason Bay knowing it had other needs.

      None of the Mets’ catchers — Henry Blanco, Omir Santos, Chris Coste and Josh Thole — is an established major-league starter. Thole, 23, had a September callup last season, but has yet to play at Class AAA.

      I find it hard to believe that the Mets don’t have any more money to sign free agents but if they do, I question why GM Omar Minaya handed Jason Bay a $66 million contract knowing that he couldn’t fill other needs. The club has a lot of money wrapped up in bad contracts and continues to feel the affects of it.


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      MLB

      Will Rams benefit from having a new owner in an un-capped year?

      February 11, 2010 /

      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez have agreed to sell the Rams’ franchise to Shahid Khan, an auto-parts manufacturer based in Urbana, Illinois. The sale still has to be approved by three-fourths of the NFL owners for it to become finalized, however.

      Assuming the sale does go through, this could be yet another crucial step in the rebuilding process for the Rams. The first step was taken last year when the team hired former Giants’ defensive coordinator Steve Spaguolo to become their next head coach.

      According to the Dispatch article, Khan is an enthusiastic Rams fan who has attended home games at the Edward Jones Dome and who is committed to keeping the team in St. Louis. That’s obviously good news for the stability of the franchise, but what about the on-field product?

      Seeing as how the NFL is heading into an un-capped year, it could wind up benefiting the Rams that they now have a new, energized owner that is willing to spend in order to improve the roster. The team already owns the No. 1 pick in the draft and if Khan is willing to make a splash in the free agent market, the Rams could turn their misfortune around rather quickly.

      Of course, spending money doesn’t always result in on-field production. Washington owner Daniel Snyder has spent years shelling out big bucks for free agents and the Redskins only have two playoff appearances (2000, 2006) in the past 10 years to show for it. General manager Billy Devaney still has to acquire the right pieces this offseason, regardless of whether or not he has financial backing from Khan.

      Either way, this is shaping up to be an interesting offseason in St. Louis.


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      NFL

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