Barrett Ruud News

When Drew Brees was playing collegiate football at Purdue, his quarterbacks coach, Greg Olson , would take him to Indianapolis to watch the Colts' Peyton Manning and meet with him after games.

Think of it as a luxury car. Sleek and powerful. Dependable and efficient. This car will take you places.

Two days after making comments that questioned his team's defensive personnel, coach Raheem Morris approached LB Barrett Ruud on Wednesday morning to clarify what was said.

Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay's first-round draft pick, has an overall passer rating of 79.9, but his rating in the fourth quarter is 117.9. Tampa Bay is 1-8 and in last place in the NFC South, but the Buccaneers are beginning to play better.

MIAMI - Barrett Ruud was feeling pretty good about Tampa Bay's victory over Green Bay when he woke up Monday.

Humble, resourceful and, of course, victorious. Coaches and teammates were impressed by his composure, too.

Week after week, he left looking like the loneliest man on the planet. Just Raheem Morris with his disappointments, frustrations and regrets.

Bucs safety Tanard Jackson said having to sit through a season-opening four-game league suspension served as a wake-up call, a "reality-setter," that has led him to the top of his game.

Following is a scouting report on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers based on interviews with several coaches and scouts whose teams recently played them.

Carolina's DeAngelo Williams breaks to the outside as Tampa Bay's Barrett Ruud and Ronde Barber defend.

TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in need of some help at fullback and Hudson resident Jason Krupinski is willing to give it to them - for free.

LONDON - At least they got out to see some sights and do some shopping. Good thing, too, because if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ever decide to look back on their weekend trip to jolly old England, those Kodak moments and souvenirs will prove to be the highlight.

There is nothing that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can do with their defensive personnel, other than hope that they don't run into another offensive line like the Carolina Panthers.

Sam Aiken heads toward the end zone after linebacker Barrett Ruud's missed tackle in the second quarter.

Cancel that APB that was issued for Laurence Maroney. The tailback turned back the clock last week, rushing for 123 yards on 16 carries.

The winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in London and hoping the change of scenery will finally help them get their season back on track.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas We'll start our weekly team-by-team mailbags with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers .

The winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't been able to catch too many breaks six weeks into the 2009 campaign.

I made a whirlwind visit to the United States last week, spending one day with the New England Patriots before flying into Tampa for 24 hours with the Buccaneers.

Hours after Tampa Bay stumbled to 0-6 for the first time in 24 years, Buccaneers rookie head coach Raheem Morris went to bed without watching film of his team's next opponent.