TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Bucs Need Long-Term Solution

ADVERTISEMENT

By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 21, 2008

CHICAGO Since they let go of Luke Petitgout, the Bucs have been on the lookout for a backup left tackle. Come next March, they might be in the market for a starting left tackle as well.

Contract talks aimed at securing the long-term services of starter Donald Penn broke off a couple of weeks ago, and there is a good chance Penn will hit the open market in the offseason.

He will hit it as a restricted free agent if he hits it at all, which is better than seeing Penn become an unrestricted free agent. When it comes to young tackles, though, there isn't a lot of difference.

Good tackles are hard to find. Good young tackles such as Penn, who figures to have nearly two years of starting experience when the season ends, are very hard to find.

That's why rival clubs are often willing to pay a premium for them, even if the premium includes a high draft pick as well as a large guaranteed payout in the form of a new contract.

The Bucs can prevent all that, of course, by simply opening up a new round of negotiations with Penn, but Penn's agent doesn't want to distract Penn by negotiating during the season.

It's likely, then, that the Bucs will have a short window between the end of the season and the start of free agency to get Penn under contract, and that seems like an important contract to complete.

The Bucs value Penn, largely because he has proved to be one of their best pass protectors. He's also their best option at one of the most critical spots on the field.

There are some areas of the game, however, that Penn needs to improve in before the Bucs will consider him a must-keep, elite-level player. The most notable is run blocking.

In accordance with the Bucs' wishes, Penn added some weight during the offseason, and he came to training camp a little stronger. The Bucs still believe, though, that he needs to improve his technique in the run game.

In fact, that is one of the reasons they have so far hesitated to finalize a deal for him. The Bucs just aren't sure if Penn can fill their long-term needs at one of the most important positions on the field.

The Bucs were hoping Petitgout would push Penn and give them a better idea of what they have in him, but with Petitgout gone and their replacement options dwindling, the Bucs might have to make a tough call on Penn come March.

No matter how it all ends up, there's a good chance the Bucs will spend an early round pick in next year's draft on a left tackle. Even if Penn is re-signed, a left tackle could be their top priority come draft day.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: If you're still struggling to figure out Coach Jon Gruden's reasoning for making Brian Griese his starting quarterback, these statistical additives could help explain it.

Though he has only started 17 games, Griese's .588 winning percentage as a Bucs starter is the second best in team history behind Shaun King, who produced a .636 mark in 26 starts.

Griese also has the highest passer rating in team history (97.5), the highest single-season completion percentage (69.3 in 2004) in team history and the highest yards-per-pass-attempt mark in team history (7.82 in 2004).

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT