Category — Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After being released by the Seattle Seahawks and being arrested for DUI (again), the Buccaneers took a chance on Jerramy Stevens. He is, after all, a talented tight end. Unfortunately, he might not see a lot of playing time this season.

A Scottsdale, Arizona jury has found him guilty of DUI, and Stevens is now facing up to 30 days in jail. But his time behind bars will likely be met with time away from the game, via a suspension from Roger Goodell. While no one knows for sure how harsh the penalty will be, we do know the commissioner is trying to improve the image of the league. And this isn’t Stevens’ first offense, making it more likely he’ll be made an example.

Mike Alstott, perhaps the most popular Buccaneer in Tampa Bay history, may finally be near retirement. After 11 seasons of play,  Alstott was choking back tears when he announced that he will not be playing in the upcoming season.

“The facts are the facts. I can’t put on a helmet or a jersey this year,” Alstott said. “… It’s just hard to grasp right now.”

At 33 years of age, however, Alstott was also sure to mention that he has not yet decided upon his future.

“I’m on injured reserve for the rest of the year,” Alstott said. “As far as what the future holds … I know there will be questions and stuff - career-ending, what it may be - but please, understand there will be a later date (for) an announcement in those regards.”

With news headlines dominated by a certain recently indicted quarterback, it’s refreshing to see another in search of a team willing to give him a fresh start.

That quarterback of course is Daunte Culpepper, previously released by the Miami Dolphins, who has spent some time contacting interested teams and working out. The most recent of these is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though they already have a pair of highly paid quarterbacks on their roster — Chris Simms and Jeff Garcia — making it doubtful he’ll end up there.

But, then again, with Jon Gruden (a.k.a. Chucky) still steering the ship, you never know what will happen.

Other teams rumored to be interested in the 30 year old quarterback include the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons.

Fantasy owners, listen up: Buccaneers’ head coach Jon Gruden has all but declared quarterback Jeff Garcia the team’s starter for 2007. Chris Simms, meanwhile, will likely take his place on the bench as the team’s number two.

“Right now, Jeff Garcia is clearly the leader in the clubhouse,” Gruden said when addressing the quarterback position.

Garcia, if you recall, led the Philadelphia Eagles to the playoffs last season before losing to the Saints. This isn’t to imply that the Buccaneers are poised for a breakout season, but it does mean that Garcia has enough in the tank to be an NFL starter and a good one at that.

The longest first round in NFL history is finally over — incidentally, this is the site’s longest blog — after a little more than 6 hours of draft and analysis. And now it’s your time to read about who teams drafted, who was passed on. This is your quick guide with links to the original reported story (top 10 picks only).

With the fourth overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams.

Over the past several weeks, and especially the last week, we’ve swallowed more than a mouthful of trade rumors; some legitimate, some seemingly pulled out of thin air. All of them — the eight we deemed most likely, at least — with links to the reported stories and all the details, are listed below in a summary format.

MLive.com reports that a deal between second overall Detroit and fourth overall Tampa Bay could involve the Buccaneers trading defensive back Brian Kelly.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are willing to trade the number two overall pick if the right combination of draft choices is offered. The most likely scenario is

Look out Mel Kiper Jr., here comes Keyshawn Johnson.