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Allen On Bucs' Finish: 'It's Not Acceptable'

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2009

TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers owners don't speak publicly very often, so Bucs general manager Bruce Allen spoke for them Friday. From the sound of things, the owners aren't very happy with the state of their football team.

"Unsatisfied,'' Allen said when asked how the Glazers felt about a team that has gone 45-51 in the regular season, 9-17 in the critical month of December and 0-2 in the playoffs the last six years.

"We've had some opportunities,'' Allen added. "But we haven't finished. We haven't closed. It's not acceptable and we have to figure out a way to get this team better.''

That process has already begun but Allen said it's still too soon to know whether getting better means bringing back key veterans such as linebacker Derrick Brooks, cornerback Ronde Barber and quarterback Jeff Garcia.

And with the exception of the offensive line, which he lauded, Allen repeatedly spoke in generalities about the future of the Bucs, saying his biggest task is to continue to develop the team's core of young players.

"We need to add some juice to this football team on the offensive and defensive side of the football,'' he said. "We need to augment the talent we already have.''

With nearly $46 million worth of room under the salary cap, the Bucs can do a lot of augmenting. Allen seemed to suggest that the Glazers will continue to give him free reign to spend to the cap's limit, if necessary.

"The Glazers have given us every opportunity to sign anybody that we elect to sign,'' Allen said. "They have been very strong in wanting us to be aggressive and pick the right people.''

The Bucs seemed to pick the right one last year when they signed wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Bryant led the Bucs in receiving but his contract is up and he must be re-signed. Allen doesn't seem to think that will be a problem.

"It seems like it's something that should work out between the two of us,'' said Allen, who also suggested the Bucs would avoid using the franchise tag to keep Bryant.

Another player who figures to be back with the Bucs in 2009 is running back Cadillac Williams but Allen said the Bucs can't look ahead with the idea that Williams will play a big role for them.

"We cannot count on him for at least the first half of the season,'' Allen said of Williams, whose return from a right patellar tendon injury was marred on the last day of the season by an injury to his left patellar tendon.

With top back Earnest Graham coming off a season-ending ankle injury Allen suggested the Bucs will probably make finding a running back a high offseason priority. Their biggest priority, however, is improving overall.

"They live in championship world,'' Allen said in summation of the Glazers feelings following the 2008 season. "They want us to compete. That hasn't changed. From the first time I met them, that's what they talked about.''

REPORT PREMATURE: Bucs linebackers coach Gus Bradley and Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell both termed "premature'' an Internet report suggesting Bradley had been hired as the Seahawks' defensive coordinator.

Bradley, who does not have a contract with the Bucs for next season, said his interview with the Seahawks went well, but was under the impression the Seahawks still had other candidates to interview over the course of the weekend.

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