The Pewter Plank » Will Allen

Depth Becomes Critical Again

Dustin Staggers — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:47:27 +0000

About two months ago, I wrote a piece called “Depth, Depth, Depth” praising the Bucs for their strong depth at positions that seemed to be filled by more than capable, solid starting players. G Jeremy Zuttah seemed to be a luxury pick in this years draft, but Zuttah has played in 4 different games so far this season, starting 3 of them due to injuries to LG Aaron Sears and to RG Davin Joseph. Word came out of Bucs camp today that SS Jermaine Phillips, who has really blossomed the past year and a half playing next to Tanard Jackson will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken forearm, and the time frame could even extend to a trip to IR at some point.

“He’s had a heck of a season for us, and hopefully it’s not serious, but we are concerned,” Jon Gruden said.

“Jermaine is a tremendous hitter,” defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. “He’s been tremendous two years in a row. He’s playing really good and he’s playing just as good this year as he did last year. He’s kind of an unsung hero. When you think of all the safeties around the league, Jermaine Phillips is an elite safety in the NFL. I know good players. But you don’t hear enough about these guys. He hustles and he hits and he gets turnovers and stuff like that.”

It is now time for Bucs fans to get used to seeing 2007 second round pick Sabby Piscatelli, a surefire crowd favorite in Tampa, on the field permanently as opposed to filling in at both safety spots as he has been doing so far this season. I would imagine Will Allen (24 career starts for the Bucs) will backup both safety spots until Phillips comes back, if he comes back at all.

“Sabby Piscatelli would obviously have to step up,” Gruden said. “There’s the resources in our secondary to get that done. It’s a big loss for us. (Phillips is) a heck of a player. He’s a big-time player. If he is out, hopefully it’s not for long. If he does miss some time, we’ll go into that secondary room, shake it up a little bit and do our best without him.”

Piscatelli has the skill level and reckless abandon to play the game the same way Jermaine Phillips played, so I have high hopes that the defense can maintain its dominance with Phillips gone. Regardless though, Phillips is one of my favorite players on the team, and I personally wish him a speedy recovery.

Camp Breakdown – SS

Dustin Staggers — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:44:54 +0000

Before last season, Jermaine Phillips was on thin ice with the Buccaneers. There was a lot of criticism in the Bay Area of him and safety Will Allen. I personally believed that the Will Allen’s miscues in ’06 directly resulted in Phillips poor year. Jermaine responded in a huge way in 2007. The return of future NFL head coach Raheem Morris and the addition of Tanard Jackson had a lot to do with his improvement.

Currently on the Roster – Jonathan Hefney, Donte Nicholson, Jermaine Phillips, Sabby Piscatelli

Guaranteed Spots - Jermaine Phillips, Sabby Piscatelli

Jermaine Phillips will continue to hold down the starting SS job in 2008. He had 83 tackles and 4 picks and combined with starting FS Tanard Jackson in a very imposing tandem in the Tampa 2. Both guys love to knock heads with receivers over the middle. Phillips provides great support in the run game, and is more than capable of handling his coverage duties. Before last season, Piscatelli would have had a chance to unseat Phillips at SS, but he got injured and spent most of the year on the IR. He should be a stalwart on special teams and could play a few plays a game on the defensive side of the ball.

No Chance – Jonathan Hefney

Battling for Spots – Donte Nicholson

Nicholson has proven to be a solid special teams player, but with the return of Piscatelli, and the addition of Eugene Wilson (who we plan to play at CB, but who has been a very effective S in the NFL) should prove to be the end of Donte’s time as a Buccaneer.

Camp Breakdown – FS

Dustin Staggers — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:55:38 +0000

The FS position was an area that was real strong for us, with rookie 4th round selection Tanard Jackson proving to be a real steal in last years’ NFL draft. This position is so pivotal for our Tampa 2 defense, and the previous years starter, Will Allen, is not consistent enough to be a starter.

Currently on the Roster – Will Allen, Tanard Jackson, Eugene Wilson

Guaranteed Spots – Allen, TJax and Wilson

I see no plausible way that all 3 of these players do not make the team. In yesterday’s write up, we discussed the possibility of Wilson even starting at CB. He is a lock. Tanard Jackson finished last season with 56 tackles, 16 starts, and weekly bone jarring hits that made people in the Bay Area think about our old friend John Lynch. Will Allen is a great backup S and an excellent special teams player. It is nice to have someone with his experience as a starter, albeit an average one, backing up a position as pivotal to our D as the FS spot.