The Thing....

Shane and I are watching The Thing. There are a lot of awesomely scary movies one can choose to watch on Halloween, and John Carpenters classic remake of The Thing is up there on the list.

First of all, it has everything you could ever want out of a horror flick: Suspense, Drama, Great Gore, and Kurt Russell. Add to that the setting of an isolated Antarctic research station and the sweet directing and musical scoring skills of John Carpenter and BAMMM! You have your self a badass movie for the ages. 

The Thing is a grand slam in the world of horror. One of the first scenes in the movie is Kurt Russell playing chess against what had to be a rather expensive computer chess unit. He makes a couple of moves and the computer chess system ultimately beats him. He simply utters the words "cheatin' bitch" and proceeds to dump his scotch into the computer's guts, killing it. What a genius way to establish Kurt Russell's character as a totally ruthless badass! 

And then all of the gore? Rob Botin absolutely tore this film up with his terrifying practical effects. When that dude's head rips itself off and sprouts legs and starts walking around? What the fuck is that? I think the words you're searching for is...um.... fucking ridiculous skills. 

This film is seriously one of my top 5 favorite horror flicks ever. You can't beat NOTLD. though. No way, sailor.

My New Beauty...

Fig. I - The most underrated bass ever: The Squire Vintage Modified Jazz Bass. This beast taught me what it was to love.

Fig. II - My dream bass: The Geddy Lee Signature Jazz Bass. (drool)

 

So, several crazy events aligned to have great fortune land in my lap. They go in this order (roughly):

1. Joined Maybe Foreign as "4 String Master Extraordinaire"

2. Jon wanted his sweet 70's Vintage Squire Jazz Bass back.

3. Music Showcase happened to have, in stock, the bass of my dreams for about 4 years running.

4. I found a rather large surplus in my school book money fund.

Let me explain. I love Fender basses. In particular, old Fender basses. In even closer detail, vintage Jazz Basses. I totally fell in love with the Squire that Jon bought (I almost bought it myself the week before, but seeing the look on Jon's face when he saw it told me that it was to be his). Great neck action, sweet pickups and a solidly beautiful finish (see fig. I). What more could you ask for?

A while ago I started to develop a crush on the Geddy Lee Jazz Bass (see fig. II). Black body. Black binding and block fret board markers. Ultra thin Maple neck and fingerboard. Sweet U.S. pickups. Fat upgraded 'Baddass II' (seriously, that's the name) bridge. I played one several times at Sam Ash and was fully engrossed. But, alas, at the time, when I actually had money, I couldn't justify the price (at the time about $900) for a bass, given that I mainly played guitar at the time.

So, the past couple of years I have been playing Jon's Squire happily. The other day, however, Jon asked for it back, which is totally reasonable. I have to admit that at first I was a little shocked. I guess I had grown so attached to that particular bass that it seemed like my prowess playing the bass was a product of that one instrument; like the Squire was the secret to my skills. Little strange, huh?

It was then that I had a very, very, very rare zen-like moment. It was time I got my own personal magic bass. Like fate, I wondered to Music Showcase to check out what they had. And there it was. A Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, just chillin'. Asking price: $799. A steal! The MSRP on that thing these days is like around $1200 or so, with Sam Ash asking $999. I immediately set to plotting.

To make a long story short, I came up with a plan where I could parlay two quarters of book store money into one Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. Thus, I ran the idea past Alicia, we went to Music Showcase, she lent her approval to the plan, and history was made. I came home but then had to go to school before I was able to set it up. That was really frustrating.

I finally got home and spent about two hours getting the bass exactly like I like it: low action, high pickups, huge tone. I can't believe I own this bass. It's absolutely perfect. It's so perfect that I have to go play it to believe it. So that's what I'm gonna do.

What I'm up to...

I suddenly realized the other day that I had not written a non-sports related blog in quite some time. With the Rays and the Bucs playing in October, I write about these events and then move on to something new. Yet after reading Dallas’s interesting “Meet at the Java & Jive” parts 1 and 2, I was inspired to write a little about what I’ve been up to lately.

I have been playing a lot of bass lately. I was on MySpace the other day and I saw a bulletin from Preston, who I met through Eric. His band’s bassist is moving to Gainesville and they were looking for a replacement. I’ve always wanted to play bass in a band where I wasn’t the chief songwriter. I love writing basslines to songs that I’ve never heard before. It’s so free.

So I tried out for the band, driving out to Prestons house with the good ol’ Squire Jazz Bass and my Fender Bassman in tow. The tryout consisted mainly of playing along with Preston while he showed me some riffs. I was a little nervous because even though I know I’m a good bass player, I start to feel like I should be playing guitar and I get all frazzled. It doesn’t seem fair that while others are playing chords I get to basically play rhythmic melodies. The latter half of the tryout was meeting Prestons brother Logan, the drummer, and basically comparing our favorite horror movies. They are knowledgeable gore fans, Logan not only loving George A. Romero, but also sharing my opinion on the win-win situation of watching any and all B horror. I felt at home.

Preston gave me the chord structures and emailed me recording of all 9 of their songs. A few of them were pretty challenging considering that Prestons style of songwriting features the progressive feel of extended verse based more on the words being sung instead of even measures. It’s a good thing I got a lot of practice with this concept playing with Eric, who writes very similar songs.

It’s been three days since I got the songs and I have them all pretty much down, some of which I wrote killer lines for. I hope they like stuff that moves around with plenty of high notes. I rarely play below the fifth fret (A) of the E string, using those notes for emphasis rather that rhythm. If you’re gonna play bass, why just follow the lowest possible root notes?

We are rehearsing on Friday evening. It’s been a long time since I ‘ve played in a full band, so I’m gonna have to get my stamina back up.

I have been taking a slew of Art classes over my last two quarters at IADT. I fell in love with Manet’s “Olympia” while in Humanities last quarter. When you know that back story of the portrait, it’s a rather riveting story. When it premiered at the 1865 Paris Salon, it caused a huge uproar. The bold statements are everywhere.

Traditional paintings of Venus consisted of the female form in a state of rapture, her long hair flowing while her gently gaze searches the heaven. Basically, Venus offered herself and her beauty to eye of the beholder in an act of submission, at once placing the female form on a pedestal after having tamed it’s awesome power. The settings were usually of a beautiful nature scene. Very idealized.

Manet more or less “fucked with the formula” by painting Venus as a courtesan, laying on her bed nude, both forcefully covering her femininity and returning your shocked stare with a confident glare of her own. She lays at leisure, dismissing the flowers from a pleased client, shooting the viewer a look that I believe blows the Mona Lisa out of the water.

You can go on for hours studying this work because it is so full of meaning. Typical portraiture of the time made common use of pets, usually small dogs, to symbolize power and status. Here, the Venus lay a foot from a black cat, a sign of peasantry, with it’s back arched in an confrontational stance equaling it’s owners leveling glace.

Another facet of this fine work that I had not thought of until it was discussed on my Survey of Modern Art class was the status of the black woman in the picture. In class we were covering how to fully appreciate art, which is a topic I usually scoff at. I think the term art appreciation is the one of the most pretentious combinations of words ever devised.

The prof was saying that you really have to take into account the social and cultural feeling of the times in which the work was made to fully understand it. That sounds pretty obvious, actually it’s the corner stone of understanding anything. I scoffed once more. One thing he pointed out, however, was very interesting.

Being an American, when I see a black woman in a painting from the mid 1800’s I automatically think of slavery. The fact that she is in servitude a white woman helps re enforce that conclusion. In all of the time I have spent observing this work, I never thought to entertain the idea of the social climate concerning racial tolerance in France. Turns out that by that time, slavery had been over. Way over. Blacks were free to do what they wished, and while they more often than not held jobs of burden, so did the same amount of whites in that time. The higher class treated everyone like shit: black or white.

When this is digested, Olympia takes on even more dimension. The look on the black woman’s face is one of cautious admiration. She sees that while her employer, this courtesan, is in apparent servitude to men by which she makes her living, she also holds sway over them because her ideal female form is what they desire. While she holds an ignored symbol of courtesy in her hands she eyes the Venus thoughtfully, at the same time both registering the conditional power that she holds in her station in life.

There are a million other things I love about this work, not the least of which is Manet’s artistic style. The slight use of the unfinished memory style of impressionism coupled with excellent traditional techniques combine to perfectly convey the scene. The warm color of the parlor in which the subject lay, the dark outer reaches of the work.

So, you could say I’m a bit of an art snob now. I have come to realize that I have always loved artistic composition, I just studied it in film more often. Art fags are just film nerds that prefer still shots. 

There are a lot of great shows on TV right now. Fringe, Dexter, Calfornication, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Life on Mars  and True Blood are fine examples. One show that totally surprised me was Sons of Anarchy. It’s actually become one of my favorite show lately. When I first heard of the show it consisted of really annoying 5 second images of motorcycles and dirty rock chords. Not too impressed. Those little commercials actually had me anxiously waiting for the show to premiere, just so I wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore.

A while later they actually showed proper trailers for the series. They actually looked pretty nice. Kind of gritty with lots of crazy, violent stuff. So, naturally, I decided to DVR it and check it out. Totally into it.

It’s like a rural California Sopranos, focusing on a wayward biker gang trying to scratch out a living while either bribing or knocking off whoever gets in their way. The show follows Jackson, known as Jax, the Vice President of the club and the son of the club originator, now dead. While trying to balance a life of crime and family (again like the Sopranos), he finds a book his father wrote about the philosophy of being a rebel, someone who lives truly free of the system. He finds that the club is not what his father had envisioned, much of their activities totally opposing the original plan.

This sets up the main conflict of the show. Jax struggles with the burden of his father’s vision while trying to cope with the various dangerous things that he gets into on behalf of the same club he is loyal to. This makes for great TV. I hope it lasts because it truly is well written and deserves the viewership. We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?

Well, that is a pretty clear slice of what I’ve been up to lately. I hope you all are well. I must be off…. more later.

A Tribute To Mike

This Sunday, during the halftime of the Bucs 20-10 victory over the Seahawks, the Buccaneer organization paid tribute to not only one of the greatest Buccaneers of all time, but one of the greatest football players of all time. Mike Alstott.

For me, Mike is the player that got me into football. He seemed to exude from himself what the game was all about. Heart, attitude, teamwork and dedication. 

His was the first jersey I bought. The first player I cheered for by name. The only player I have ever shed a tear for.

Throughout the history of this game, it tends to be the great men that make the best legends. Alstott gave back to his community more than almost any player. He worked hard to make a connection with the fans, opting to stay until every autograph was signed, every hand shaken, every word of praise humbly accepted with a nod and thanks. Throughout a period in the NFL where high priority and profile gave many of our best players the privilege to tarnish their image with drugs, alcohol and a host of other vices, Mike built a family and continued to help those that needed it most; a child with leukemia, a single mother in poverty. 

His career was legendary. In college at Purdue he became the first Boilermaker named MVP in three consecutive seasons, scoring 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, 14 as a junior and 11 as a senior, and still holds the Purdue rushing touchdown record with 39. As a professional, 5,088 yards rushing, accounting for 71 touchdowns. 6 Pro Bowl appearances. He is the Bucs all time scoring leader. He was an anchor for the Bucs in the hardest of times, making the playoffs several times in the late 90's, once making the NFC conference game only to lose by a bad officiating call. He pulled the team through and was instrumental to their rise as Super Bowl Champions in 2002. 

In the end, though, the heart was willing but the vessel was damaged. In 2003 he suffered a neck injury that cost him most of that season. There was a talk of his being medically unable to play the game any longer. Doubt lingered through his resulting neck surgery and into 2004 training camp, where Mike began working out and hitting the pads. He was medically cleared to play and resumed that year, albeit harnessing a lighter load due to Jon Gruden's personnel decisions.

He continued to play. A true example of Alstott's glory in action, an instance that I was fortunate enough to attend, occurred in the 2006 playoffs when the Bucs faced the Redskins at Raymond James. It was a hard fought game from beginning to end. After a long drive engineered by Chris Simms, Parris Warren caught a pass deep in the endzone to place the score within a point at 35-34 with only a few seconds on the clock. The Bucs lined up to kick the game evening extra point. The Redskins blocked it. Yellow flags rained down. The 'Skins were offsides. The penalty: Half the distance to the goal, retry the kick. That put us on the 1 and 1/2 yard line.

Gruden calls the special teams unit off of the field. He sends on the offense. The whole crowd was stunned, and then began to roar. This was for all the beans. A 2 point conversion attempt. It was simple: get the 2 and ride off in glory, get stuffed and wither knowing you could be in OT if you had just kicked the PAT.

The Bucs come out in a heavy formation. 2 tight ends, O-line jammed together. Number 40 in the backfield, on hand on the turf, helmet lowered and then slowly raised in a sign of readiness. The crowd is screaming for Mike. We all know what is coming. The Redskins defense knows what is coming. They huddle together in the endzone, waiting for the snap.

The center snaps the ball into Simms hands. Simms turns to his right, holding the ball low for Mike who is quickly approaching top speed. In an instant he grabs the ball and pulls it in tight, lowering his shoulders as he approaches the pile of offensive and defensive linemen fighting for position. 

When he first makes contact his momentum slows, almost stopping. He begins to churn forward, all his strength focused on moving 3 more feet for the goal line. He is stopped short. He begins to fall to ground. In a second burst of power, he begins to push the line again, vying for purchase. The goal line gets closer. He pushes again, gaining more ground. He begins to fall once more. He looks down and sees the goal line not 6 inches away. He throws his body forward one last time, sacrificing himself to break the line. He does. He falls to the ground finally, ball over the goal line, the win hanging on his second and third efforts to make the play.

If you watch film of the play, you can see it all there, every hit and push. The Bucs went on to be knocked out of the playoffs that year, but would never have had the opportunity to live to play another day if not for Alstott. 

His last play was a goal line effort in a 2007 preseason game. Lurching across the goal line yet again, he was hit hard and fell to the ground. Fox Sports, who had their fly-over camera in place, caught the look on Alstott's face as he lie in the ground, eyes wandering. He couldn't move. He just laid there, eyes searching for some reason. A moment later he rose to his feet and walked to the sideline. He would never touch the field again in uniform. He spent the entire 2007 season on the Injured Reserve list. All throughout the season he was on the side lines for every game, cheering on his teammates despite having suffered a season ending neck injury, his career most likely over.

Mike Alstott called a press conference on January 24th, 2008. The word had leaked out that he was expected to announce his retirement after meeting with players and coaches earlier in the week. Tearfully, Mike made his way to table and sat down. "Though mentally I feel like I can continue, physically I can't," he said. "The second injury to my neck will prevent me from playing football forever." His eyes welled with tears. A multi-millionaire crying about not being able to play football. He struggled to convey his words. He said he couldn't be selfish and risk hurting his family. He already missed putting on the uniform and being with his teammates. He loved his city and hoped they would understand. I don't think I was the only person in Tampa with a tear in my eye that afternoon.

What powered Mike across the goal line that night against Washington was the same thing that makes him so legendary. Heart. A pure desire to accomplish what was set before him. 

Mike's number 40 is now retired by the Buccaneers. I know several other players who showed the same heart that will one day have their number honored as well. Barber. Brooks. Lynch.

Mike was named the 12th offensive player Sunday night. He ran out of the tunnel when his name and number were called, the air rife with cheers and cannons. He huddled the offense together one last time, firing the team up like he had done so many times before. He hugged everyone on the sideline he could get his hands on. And at half time, Mike was presented with the most valuable gift of all. A chance to speak to his fans once again, this time his eyes brimming with tears of pride. "I love you and I will miss you." Same here, Mike, same here. 

Week 7: Vs. Seattle Seahawks

Through Weeks 6 and 7, Bucs stomp over opponents as the defense continues to key up on any and all chumps.

Due to some recent busy-ness on my part, I neglected to write about the week 6 dismantling of the Panthers and due to the Rays triumphant rise to the World Series, I didn't see too much of the Seattle game, either. So what I thought I would do is just throw it all together into one big extended commentary on the state of our Bucs.

First of all, THE BUCS DEFENSE CAN AND WILL DESTROY ANYTHING OR ANYONE THAT FOOLISHLY ATTEMPTS TO GAIN YARDAGE. PERIOD. This crew has looked great from top to bottom. Seattle runningback Julius Jones said earlier last week that the Bucs defense was too old to last the entire game. He stated that one simply had to get physical with them to expose veterans like Ronde Barber and Derrick Brooks to a case of air suck fever. Well, I watched enough of the game to see RONDE BARBER STICK YOUR ASS FOR REPEATED LOSSES ALL GAME LONG, MR. JONES. I also bore witness to DERRICK BROOKS, BARRET RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD AND CATO JUNE STUFFING UP THE RUNNING LANES LIKE A HORRIFIC 10 CAR PILE UP IN L.A. They had to call the Florida Highway Patrol out after the game just to count causalities. The crime scene tape is still up. Forensics crews are still mopping up blood and teeth, trying to identify the 11 men that were pounded and torn up all day long on the turf. So far there have been no significant findings. News @ 11.

As for offense: Greatly improved. Antonio Bryant is starting to find out how to get open for the long pass without having Joey Galloway on the field to distract the d-backs. Jeff Garcia is finding his stride, making plays with his legs and stepping up in the pocket to make plays with his arm. He is seeing the field with the weariness of mid season, despite his numerous setbacks due to injury and coaching error. Putting Jeff back in the game was the best thing Gruden has done all year. And it's already paying dividends.

And the rushing attack? Are you kidding me? What do you think is causing so much trouble for CSI at Raymond James this week? There are bits and pieces of Seahawk linebackers scattered throughout the carnage caused by the Bucs defense. The word is that when Minnesota comes here on November 16th, the Viking's equipment staff will be adding dogtags to the uniforms in order to better identify the victims of ol' Kiffin the Killer's 89th Heavy Ground Support Squad. The broadcast may well be banned from broadcast.

This week we are up against the Cowboys in Dallas. One of the AM radio guys said what is probably the most poignant statement about the match up. When an animal is hurt and retreats back to it's home, the most dangerous thing you could do is go in after it. The Cowboys are hurting after losing Tony Romo, Adam Jones, and Roy Williams. The word is that there may be some firing this week, most likely the defensive coordinator. This may seem like a great time to slay the wounded beast, but let's be careful. The Cowboys know that this is a do or die situation for them. Losing on the road without your starting QB is one thing, but losing at home is unacceptable, especially for the Cowboys (read: Jerry Jones). 

We need to enter this week's game with solid fundamentals and rugged determination. Tony Romo is a game time decision and TO will definitely be on the prowl. Either way, should be one hell of a game.

RAYS GO TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!

Photo by Michael Spooneybarger

Well, the Rays have done it! It's just too hard to believe. I remember watching the Devil Rays last year and watching great lead after great lead just go to hell when the bullpen would get lit up by Boston or the Yankees or any other team that wanted to. I also remember seeing that spark, even then. If you go back and look, we would win a lot of games just like how we won them this year, with late inning heroics and string heart from our defense. And they did it with guys who unfortunately aren't here anymore. Brendan Harris, Ty Wigginton, Toby Hall. 

However, some guys were there and are still doing the same thing for the Rays. Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, BJ Upton, Dioner Navarro. But with additions like Troy Percival (however his season ended), Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, Evan Longoria, Grant Balfour, Chad Bradford, David Price, and Willy Aybar, the Rays brought it all together. They strengthened an already solid defense into the best in the league. They brought in some good relievers and made the bullpen one of the best in the league. I mean, c'mon! J.P. Howell was fighting for a spot in the starting rotation when Maddon decided to work him out of the bullpen. I don't think anyone but probably Maddon and Hickey saw that move working out as well as it has. Genius!!!

I gotta say, though, I was very torn up by this ALCS series. After losing the first game at home, I was pretty optimistic yet a little perturbed when Shields great effort was spoiled by a lackluster offensive game. And then we came back, taking the second game at home and heading to Fenway all tied up 1-1. After that, the homerun derby began, with games 3 and 4 being filled with great at bats and even greater pitching efforts by Garza and Sonnanstine. After that I was feeling pretty good, with the Rays up 3-1 in the series. 

After that things got hairy very quickly. I had to watch most of the game 5 online at school. A bunch of us Rays fans all huddled together on out break and watched as much of it on TV as we could, commandeering the flatscreen in the cafe. We were up 4 to 0 when I left. All of the Rays faithful wished each other well and felt confident we would take the series. Alicia, Jeremy, and I rushed over to my parents house after I got home. It really started to hit me that we may go to the WorldSeries. I was beside myself. We pop into the Club, get comfortable and..... alas, we blow a 7 run lead in game 5 with just three innings to go. That loss killed me. I had nightmares about it. I was just floored.

Then we play them in game 6 in Tampa and drop that game as well. That game really killed me. I just felt horrible. After watching every single game this season, I was horrified at the possibility that the Rays team that ruled the American League all year would go down in flames to the Sox. Ugh.

Enter game 7. The game for all the beans. The game for a ticket to the World Series or a slow trip back the clubhouse having given a 3-1 series lead back to Boston.

I must interject here and make a confession. I had a small crisis before the game. After two straight nights of having my heart ripped out by the Sox, I was hurting. The Bucs were playing Sunday Night football against the Seahawks. There are two TVs in the Club, a large TV for the main attraction and a secondary, smaller TV for a side game, usually a regular series Rays game or a college game of interest. When faced with what game to put where, I was conflicted. I didn't think I could take another Rays loss. The last two had really messed me up. So, I made the decision to out the Bucs on the big TV and the Rays on the smaller TV, hoping that I would get lost in football and let the first half of the Rays game float by and see where the Rays were then. If they lost, they lost. If they won, they won. I just wanted it to be over.

But as I was supposed to be watching the Bucs game, I couldn't keep my eyes off of the Rays game. Even though it has no sound and was much smaller, I found that I was watching Garza pitch on 0-2 in the 2nd inning instead on the Bucs on 3rd and 6. I looked around the room. Everyone was doing the same. So, giddy-up, boys. We changed the game over to the Rays and never looked back. I couldn't miss what could be the last Rays game of the season. I wanted to be with my boys through the end of it, no matter what that end may be.  

Now on the big screen in glorious 5.1 surround sound, the Rays play ball. Garza gives up a homerun in the first inning, a 1-0 lead the Sox held for the next few innings. After that, Garza calmed down and pitched 7 1/3rd innings. We got some much needed runs. We are up 2-1. Aybar hits a HUGE homerun in the 7th, bringing us up 3-1.

And David Price, 22 year of age, who was pitching for the Durham Bulls until a few months ago, hops into the game to close it out. He gets out of a jam in the 8th and walks back to the dugout. One of the most powerful moments occurred when the broadcasters for the game said, "you can see who the Rays plan to pitch the 9th by taking one look at the bullpen". The camera pans to the Rays bullpen. Cups, sunflower seeds, towels, Gatorade coolers. No one warming up. Price would get the ball in the 9th.

He throws fire and brimstone. He pitches a low fastball to Jed Lowrie that is hit for a groundball to right. Aki scoops up the ball and steps on second base for the force like he has done so often this year. Only this time, he officially closes out game 7 of the American League Championship Series and seals Rays into the World Series.

The Club was rocking. We hung on every pitch. When Aki stepped on that base and jumped high in the air, we all lost it. There were hugs all around. We did it. From worst to first. 9=8.

And now, on to the World Series against the Phillies. We have home field advantage for this series as well. If any team can do it we can. And of course we'll play the underdog once again. No matter what, though, it's been a wild ride. GO RAYS!!!

Week 5: @ Denver Broncos

Despite Late 4th Quarter Heroics, Dismal Playcalling Sees Bucs Come Up Short, 16-13

What a game. The same day (and time) that the Rays suffer their first ALDS loss, the Bucs put on a performance to forget. Now, I'm not bellowing doom and gloom or anything. Every team stumbles. What makes this one hard to take is that we could have won this game. We should have won this game.

However, it was not meant to be. The Bucs were one mile high and one field goal too short. The reasons were all over the board. Here goes...

Quarterbacks: B

Want the good news? Brian Greise didn't throw any interceptions. How about the bad news? He didn't throw ant TD's either. And he got hurt. Greise is calling it an elbow bruise but said there is no structural damage to the area, so he may be able to return next week. Enter the drama.

Jeff Garcia came in to relieve Greise, having only been made backup QB earlier that day. He did pretty well, appearing rusty at first and then finding a stride later in the game, going 13 for 17 attempts and racking up 93 yards. He led the Bucs to their only touchdown, but also threw a pick that was subsequently fumbled and recovered by the Bucs. Overall these guys didn't do too bad. I'm curious to see what happens this week, though. Who to start? You ask me, you gotta give it back to Greise. It needs to be his job to lose from bad play, not due to an injury.

Runningbacks: B

These guys suffered from horrible play calling. The number aren't too bad. Earnest Graham 10 carries for 59 yards, Warrick Dunn 11 carries for 74 yards. What isn't apparent, though, is how Gruden's horrible playcalling affected the game. On a vital 3rd and 2 late in the game, Gruden elects to run Dunn on a wide sweep with the Denver defense in full lock down mode. Duh. Doesn't take an armchair QB to figure out that that may not work. And it didn't. Ugh.

Recievers: B

Ike Hilliard once again established his role as the go-to clutch catcher for this team, catching the Bucs lone TD and stretching drives by making the crucial catches on 3rd down. Micheal Clayton caught three passes, which is kind of nice. Jerramy Stevens had a pretty good game, although he let a sure TD pass slip threw his fingers. Antonio Bryant racked up the majority of yards, 58. Once again, the playcalling disaster this week affected the receiving corps as well.

Offensive Line: B

Davin Joseph returned to the line after three weeks of injury, and he did well. The line gave up three sacks, which is a high number given their previous play. Center Jeff Faine let his temper get carried away, drawing a penalty for unsportsman-like conduct by hovering over a fallen Bronco defensive lineman, talking trash, that negated a holding call on the defense that resulted in a 3rd and 5 instead of a 1st and 10. Jeremy Trueblood, normally great, was false starting all over the place. In all, it was a strange game for the line. They did, however, provide great lanes for the running game.

Defensive Line: B

The D line was pretty good. I gotta talk a little about Gaines Adams. He's everywhere. If you watch the game you'll see him all over the place. Rushing the passer, running to the sideline to make a tackle. The guy is a beast. Anywho, the line kept up pressure but didn't get enough to force any major mistakes. All in all a somewhat regular game. They just need to step it up some.

Linebackers: A

The LB were flying. Mr. Barrett RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUD was no exception, racking up 6 tackles before injuring his knee early in the 4th quarter. Why were Ruud's tackles lower than his usual 10 or so? Because Cato June was pulling the slack, racking up 5 solo tackles, including one sweet special teams tackle. Linebackers, getting it done once again.

Defensive Backs: C

No big pass plays allowed, but no INTs either. These guys consistently let the medium to short pass get through their coverage. Ronde Barber had some great coverage, though, only allowing Broncos star receiver Brandon Stokely to catch three passes, although one was a TD. Aqib Talib played well, but whiffed on some pump fakes that allowed some passes to get through. All in all the play was okay, but these guys couldn't stop the pass when we needed it the most. There's always next week...

Special Teams: A

Great play from special teams helped out a lot to keep us in this game. Dexter Jackson was alright, only pulling his "slip-down" technique on a couple of returns but otherwise kept things solid. Mr. Matt Bryant, earning respect by rocking the killer 'stache and kicking 2 for 2 on field goal attempts, bringing new meaning to the phrase "Martin Fennelly - kiss my 3 point kicking ass". On the kick coverage game, we were spot on. 

Coaching: D

Once again, Monte Kiffin curved the grade up to a D from the F that Gruden deserves for his efforts. On 3rd down we sucked, calling for retarded plays that almost looked like they were intended to fail. 3rd and 2? Sweep to the left. 3rd and 10? Draw play that everyone sees coming. Pathetic. That's all I got to say.

Conclusion

And now Gruden is set to make some more bonehead moves. He'll treat this QB controversy with all of the class of a horseshoe throwing contest. I'm so tired of the way Gruden calls games. In the 4th quarter, down 10 points, he managed to make the team look like we were milking the clock, like we had the lead. Meanwhile, the Broncos are just throwing the ball down field like they're the ones in the hole. And that's why they won. Not because they were the better team, because they weren't. They won because they were the better coached team. Plain and simple.

Next week we play the Carolina Panthers at home. They won't be nearly as easy as to beat as the Broncos. Next week will be a major gut check game for the Bucs. A loss could send us into a downward spiral. A win could propel us into the playoffs. Only time will tell...    

Wha' Happen'd???

Ryan Totally Drops The Ball, Forgets to Blog on Bucs Sweet Victory Over The Pack 30-21!

Hey, folks. As the headline says, I somehow managed to not find the time to blog about the Bucs game this week. I will include references to last week's game along with my coverage of the action against Denver this week. So, to make up for it (like Carl Lewis tried to, hopefully to greater effect), I will post some of my favorite pics from last weeks game. Enjoy!

Fig. I - The Bucs put pressure on Aaron Rodgers all day long. In this pic, Greg White records a sack and adjusts Rodgers' lower back as well. How efficient!

Fig. II - When the QB is mercilessly abused, he may wuss out and try to throw some passes that maybe should have otherwise been something to cuddle with while being sacked. Add in the presence of veteran badass Mr. Derrick Brooks, and you wind up with this: First and Ten, Buccaneers.

Fig. III - Mr. Brooks had a career game last week. Here, your favorite player celebrates yet another sick pickoff. PIMP!

Fig. IV - Your boy Barrett RUUUUUUUUUUUUD picking off Rodgers with much aplomb. He is, without a doubt the future leader of this Bucs defense.

Fig. V - When will the disgusting defensive plays end? When the Bucs damn well want it to. Jermaine Phillips scoops up a ball knocked loose by Brooks and runs it back the other way for 6 points. 

Fig. VI - The O-Line was great again this week, allowing the run to work and keeping Greise off his back. 

Fig. VII - When the QB has time to make throws, he may even throw a TD. Greise threw a beauty to my boy Alex Smith. Tight Ends Represent!!!

We play at Mile High Stadium in Denver this week, and although the Broncos rank among the lowest in pass defense, having less O2 in your lung can really kill a receiver's get up and go. Who will prevail? I guess we'll see. GO BUCS!!!