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By Anthony De Franco  September 27, 2009, at 10:39 pm  I nearly lost my mind when I read this on PFT:
After a couple of solid performances in losing efforts, Buccaneers starting quarterback Byron Leftwich’s day matched the outcome of the game.
And so he was pulled during a 24-0 loss to the Giants after completing seven of 16 passes for only 22 yards and an interception.
Leftwich was replaced not by rookie Josh Freeman but by second-year man Josh Johnson, who completed four of ten passes for 36 yards.
After the game, however, coach Raheem Morris said that Leftwich will return to the starting lineup next week, against the Redskins.
Sure, Leftwich has been okay early in this year, but it is becoming really obvious that the Bucs have no chance of shocking anyone and making any kind of run this season. So, what do you get out sticking with your veteran quarterback that most likely isn’t going to return as your starter next year?
This decision gets all the fishier when you look at the two backups that they have right now. The first is Josh Freeman, who they loved enough to use a first round pick on this April. The other is the guy that should be starting next week in Josh Johnson.
Johnson is the best chance that this team has of success right now. When he came into the game against the Giants today, he took an offense that was having trouble walking and not falling down and moved them down the field using both his legs and his arm. For those who aren’t 3rd String die hards, both Jason and I loved Johnson as a developmental QB when he was drafted a couple of years ago. His mixture of explosive play with his legs, and raw tools that could turn him into a dynamite passer is too good to let rot on the bench.
Earlier in the year, head coach Raheem Morris called Johnson a “career backup.” I think you saw something else today. You saw a guy who has a spark. A guy who can’t learn anything else by sitting on the bench and needs reps. It’s really a shame that the Bucs are going to give his reps to a guy who won’t be around to see this team become a contender.
By Jason Comack September 5, 2009, at 6:33 pm From Matt Maiocco
49ers announce 20 cuts to get to 53-man limit
The 49ers reduced their roster to the 53-man limit just minutes ago, but that does not mean everybody with the team today will still be here on Sunday.
The 49ers released T Jacob Bender, T Alex Boone, WR Dobson Collins, DL Pannel Egboh, TE J.J. Finley, CB Eric Green, OL Kyle Howard, CB Terrail Lambert, FB Brit Miller, NT/OT Khalif Mitchell, LB Jay Moore, TE Bear Pascoe, WR Maurice Price, FB Bill Rentmeester, LB Justin Roland, RB Kory Sheets, OL Matt Spanos, OL Joe Toledo, LB Mark Washington and WR Dominique Zeigler.
Lot’s of surprises.
1) The one sure to have the fans upset is Kory Sheets. Sheets an undrafted rookie looked fantastic during pre-season/training camp. However lets face the facts; he was behind Gore, Coffee and Robinson…carries were going to be sparse. Secondly Thomas Clayton looked great every off-season that success never carried to the NFL. Hopefully he’ll slip through waivers and join the practice squad.
2) The bigger surprise to me was that Pascoe, Finley, and Miller were cut. I don’t buy that a team that says it’s committed to running the ball would only keep two tight ends and one fullback. Especially when you consider that Delanie Walker is more of a WR then tight end. I can guarantee the Niners are looking to find someone on waivers.
3) The cuts of Bender, Boone, Toledo and Spanos leave the Niners painfully think along the offensive line. By my count they only have 8 offensive lineman on the roster (Staley, Baas, Heitman, Richal, Synder, Wragge, Sims, Wallace.) Again expect a waiver pickup. Watch the Jaguars cuts closely and see if Tony Pashos is cut.
4) The fact that Ricky Jean-Francois and Diyral Briggs made the team shows the Niners are not confident about their pass rush. Francois is developmental but Briggs played his way onto the team with his strong play.
5) WR is still a cluster…you know what. Morgan, Bruce, Jones, Battle, Spurlock and Hill made the team. As did Allen Rossum as a KR. One of those guys is going when Crabtree signs and likely even sooner. Dominque Ziegler was a fan favorite but he got injured during the last preseason game. Hopefully he’ll clear waivers.
By Anthony De Franco July 2, 2009, at 7:00 pm Wow, this contract includes a ton of red tape, huh? From PFT:
We’ve obtained a copy of the UFL’s “Standard Player Contract.” It’s a 25-page document, a length that becomes even more impressive when considering that none of the terms are negotiable.
Among other things, the document (and the memo to players and agents that we obtained on Wednesday) contains an “NFL Exemption,” which contemplates that players will have an opportunity to return to the NFL after November 28, 2009, the completion of the UFL season.
The UFL continues to admit that they are nothing but a developmental type league. This bodes well for them. Believe me, the best thing that they can do is admit that they aren’t challenging for the crown. They have seen what happens to proud (XFL) when they try to challenge the throne. Now, they should try to put together a marketing campaign that revolves around “See the NFL stars of tomorrow, Today.”
I’m awesome. Somone hire me.
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