Yardbarker: Jameel Cook

Jameel is cooked in Tampa

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:35:17 -0500

Being a long-standing member of the Bucs isn't viewed as a positive around Tampa these days.According to PFT head honcho Mike Florio, the latest veteran Buccanneer to get cut was fullback Jameel Cook, who has played six of his eight...

Big Hearts but No Canton: Five Bucs You Remember That Won't Make It

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:19:30 -0500

There are many players on many teams in the National Football League that do so much but receive so little support and recognition. Other players get the attention for a single season, but are then replaced and relegated to becoming a NFL analyst on ESPN if they are lucky. There were five players on the Bucs old and current team that came to mind when thinking of these type of players. These five players will most certainly miss out on the Hall of Fame but gave the Tampa Bay fans something to...

Pewter Plank’s Annual Roster Prediction-Offense

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:56:37 -0500

With Training Camp set to being Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium (I will be there) and continue at the gorgeous One Buc Place in Tampa (will be at all afternoon sessions) I figured it was time for the Pewter Plank Annual Roster Prediction. This is the third straight year we have done this at the Pewter Plank and I encourage everyone to leave comments. Defense and Special Teams will be up tommorow. Without further ado… QB - Luke McCown, Byron Leftwich, Josh Freeman, Josh Johnson...

Buccaneer Offense: Who's In, Who's On The Bubble?

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:54:23 -0500

Part Two of a series. Today we look at the offensive roster. Who's a lock to make the roster, who's probable and who's on the bubble. When you take a look at the 81-man roster for the Buccaneers, the first thing you notice is that someone will have to be released when quarterback Josh Freeman is signed. Camp roster limit is 80. After that, take a serious look at these players and you begin to understand just how small NFL rosters are. If a team is two-deep at every position, that&...

Buccaneers Sign FB's Jameel Cook, Ryan Powdrell

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:40:05 -0500

Tampa Bay has signed two fullbacks to help with its urgent need. The Bucs signed FB Jameel Cook and placed Byron Storer on injured reserve. In...

NFL Punchlines: Willis McGahee Says He Will Be Ready For Season Opener

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:25:51 -0500

Ravens RB Willis McGahee says he will be ready for the season opener vs the Bengals on Sept. 7. (Washington Post)

Orlando Pace's shoulder is acting up again, uh oh. (Post-Dispatch)

Steven Jackson want to make peace with the fans of St. Louis and move on. Rush for 150 in your first game Steve and all will be forgiven. (Post-Dispatch)

The #2 receiver position at Seahawks camp remains wide open. (Seattle Times)

In a keeper league should we entertain picking Frank Gore over Brian Westbrook with the 1st pick? (San Fran Chronicle)

We could definitely see Chargers DE Igor Olshansky in the Olympic weightlifting competition. Dude is a beast. (Union Tribune)

We have been ripping on the 49ers QB situation lately, but the trio actually played well last night and put up 37 points. (SacBee)

Are the Steelers foolish to gamble on an aging linebacker again? They signed James Farrior to a $18.25 million contract yesterday. (Post-Gazette)

Rodney Harrison on how Asante Samuel is adjusting to his new team: "I talked to him the other day," Patriots safety Rodney Harrison said. "He's doing great. Wouldn't you, $60 million richer? He's doing wonderful." (Philly Inquirer)

The Jags are looking to youngsters to fill the pass rushing void they had last season. (Orlando Sentinel)

Favre has been clicking with Cotchery from day one at Jets camp. (Newsday)

Can you kick? Cause the Giants might be looking for one after Lawrence Tynes has exploratory knee surgery today. (NY Post)

Jeremy Shockey is chomping at the bit to see some game action with his new team. (Times-Picayune)

Is Alge Crumpler happy to be a Titan or glad he's not a Falcon? (Tennessean)

With 3 of 4 starters back from last season the Dolphins secondary should be the best unit on the team. (Miami Herald)

Tom Coughlin turned to a couple of west coast based coaches for advice on how to repeat. (L.A. Times)

Adam Vinatieri's is getting used to his new surroundings at Lucas Oil Stadium. Think Tony Dungy will take him on the field and do what Norman Dale did when Hickory first set foot in the gym they played the state championship game in? (Indy Star)

Are the Colts going to be OK? Peyton is on the mend and now they need to "juggle" their offensive line. (Indy Star)

This whole Texans-Cowboys rivalry is news to us. Other than the first ever Texans game have they played since? (Houston Chronicle)

Texans FB Jameel Cook smokes weed. (Houston Chronicle)

Nate Webster and Niko Koutouvides continue to battle it out for the starting middle linebacker spot with the Broncos. (Rocky Mountain News)

Jim Armstrong brings the Broncos back to reality. Or at least his reality. (Denver Post)

All Ted Ginn needed was new QB's in order to get his swagger back. Duh. (Columbus Dispatch)

Pretty soon Chris Henry will be the only receiver who is actually on the field for the Bengals. How ironic is that? (Cincy Enquirer)

FB Jameel Cook Arrested and Charged with Marijuana Possession

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:15:13 -0500

Fullback Jameel Cook was was arrested and charged with marijuana possession Wednesday according to the AP. Cook was stopped about 7:30 p.m. because his 2007 Mercedes sedan had no front license plate or registration sticker. He was charged with a misdemeanor after the deputy searched the car and found a plastic bag containing two grams of marijuana. Cook joined the Texans in 2006 and played in all of the team's games last season. He previously had played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who drafted him in 2001.

Houston Texans (Toro Times)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:58:42 -0500

Team MVP: Well, to be quite honest, this is a toss up. Anyone could throw out Andre Johnson's name into "Team MVP" conversations, but simply due to his recent past injuries, I don't think he'll be MVP, though he will be a powerful piece of the Offensive game plan. You could also make a case for the soon-to-be three year veteran, DeMeco Ryans. DeMeco, who was second last year in the AFC with 128 tackles, is no doubt the leader of the defense who keeps the 4-3 system working on the second level. And though Ryans will be one of the best linebackers in the league next year, don't expect him to be named Team MVP. That title will belong to, none other, than Mario Williams. Williams had a roller coaster like third year last year, having tied for third in the L with 14 sacks, being snubbed from the Pro Bowl, and maintaining his ability to be seen at clubs "making it rain". Mario not only will take this title for the Texans, but he may also make a case for League MVP. Breakout Player: Zach Diles. Yes, Zach Diles. If you don't know the name by now, learn it. Know it. Memorize it. Diles is a second year pro fresh out of K-State, and is on the verge to make a huge name for himself. Diles was drafted last year due to his fierce play and being a relentless ball hog. Everyone assumed that the kid would serve as DeMeco Ryans' backup for three years, get released, and sign on with another team (IE. Antwan Peek). But through hard work, Zach Diles landed a spot on the '07 roster, and on top of that, became what Kubiak once called "a freak at linebacker". Don't get me wrong, earning playing time at any LB position on this team is very difficult, but Diles has done it. Since TC is over, Diles has solidified a name for himself and is projected to start on the left shoulder of DeMeco, at Weak Outside Linebacker. Also, look for Diles to have a few INT's this year, as he displayed a great sense of pass coverage during Training Camp. Biggest Disappointment: I'm going out on a limb here- Owen Daniels. Daniels had a very productive year in 2007 and has had a fair camp. The reason that I make this claim then, is merely based on his performance in the clutch. I think everyone began getting sick of watching Owen drop balls on short five-and-ins, in fear of being crushed by the opposing LB's. Daniel's needs to get tough- fast! Joel Dreessen surprised many last year as the teams third tight end. I saw Dreessen make some plays that I would question Daniels to make. Owen is going to need to step up this year if he plans to be the future of Houston Texan tight ends. Fantasy Stud: Kevin Walter. Hands down, the elite compliment to an elite player. When I think of Walter, I see a bit of Wes Welker- great hands, possession receiver, short route/first down, type of guy. Walter didn't have 1,000 yard season last year, and he won't this year. But trust me, when opposing secondaries are flocking towards AJ every down, it opens up the No. 2 guy, in this case, Walter. The reason which I declare Walter the fantasy stud is primarily due to the fact the he had 800 yards last year in his first shot at starting. He also piled up 4 touchdowns, which is fair for a player in his role. Walter is someone that should be picked up with a late round fantasy pick. Offensive Outlook: Fair, with a chance of scattered showers. The Texans' finally have begun moving on. Not necessarily figuratively, but literally. With the number of Original Texan players dropping every year, our team is developing into a mold which the GM Rick Smith can clearly accept. The team gets something this year that they have NEVER had in the past- a decent offensive line. Yes, last year's line did well, giving up the seventh fewest total of sacks in the league, but this year is different. We finally drafted a lineman in the first round! Hello, Mr. Duane Brown, welcome to Houston. With Brown's amazing play, and overall athleticism, he has gained the starting job at LT opening the season. Barring injury of course, Ephraim Salaam will be benched, playing sparingly in spot situation of as a third tackle. Another new addition to the O-Line this year is, former Bronco (go figure), Chris Meyers. Meyer's is a fourth year pro who started every game for Denver last year, and he gives the team a more secured feeling at center, than in years past. The line this year will look like (LT-RT); Duane Brown, Chester Pitts, Chris Meyers, Mike Brisiel, and Eric Winston. A pretty solid group, who you could expect to be a tough match for opposing defenses. Then comes the situation in the backfield. Ahman Green is old, injury prone, and to be quite frank- is not ready to lead this team. After all the hype created on the "Arrival of Amazing Ahman" story, people began thinking our running back situation may be solved! That is until you realize that he is 31, and has only played in 25 games in the past three seasons! Come on, the dude is fragile. He needs to be wrapped up in bubble wrap, boxed up, and shipped outta town! Ahman played OK in his six games of action for the Texans in '07, compiling a grand total of 260 yards on 70 attempts (3.7 avg.). That's weak. But THANK GOD Rick Smith acknowledge this lack luster year by Ahman, and brought in an insurance policy- Chris Brown. No, this Chris Brown can't sing pretty melodies and dance like a Michael Jackson reincarnate, but he can run. Last year with the Titans, though injured for a good portion of the season, Brown carried the ball 102 times for 462 yards in a backup role with the team. Brown is a very long back, and can stretch the field. Odds are, Brown will touch the ball 10-12 times a game and a good season for him will be 600 yards. There isn't much competition now for the third RB spot, as Steve Slaton, the rookie out of West Virginia is a sure shot to make the team. Kubiak likes Slaton's speed an can imagine him as a possible third-down back. Slaton also has above average hands, and the speed to break to the outside. Chris Taylor, the oft-injured back from Indiana, and ND product Darius Walker will compete for the fourth spot at RB. A great perk to being a Texan running back, is being able to line up behind Vonta Leach. With another exceptional performance last season, the 250 pound ECU product has proven to be one of the best full backs in the AFC by dazzling spectators with huge hits and reliable hands. Jameel Cook will be Leach's backup. The squad looks solid at receiver, especially if Johnson comes back as healthy as predicted. Andre hopes that this year is the one that will set him above the rest and I think he's hoping correctly. Johnson has a good knee, and a great outlook for the year, which is good. And the other WR's are clearly ready to match Johnson's effort. Kevin Walter will be the Number 2 guy, with Jacoby Jones as his backup. Backing up Johnson, will be the highly acclaimed breakout player of last year, Andre Davis. Davis, and Jones alike, both showed great potential last year as special teams returners, and Davis also as a receiver. Jones is lightning fast with decent hands and will be a good number 4 receiver. Davis, also, is very fast, and will primarily be thrown deep balls this year. David Anderson is assuming the 5th spot on the team. Owen Daniels will start at tight end, and Mark Bruener will back him up- again. The two will nearly split time depending on the play called. Daniels = Pass. Bruener = Run. Also projected to make the squad at TE is Joel Dreessen. Dreessen played well last year and even nabbed a TD. As one could expect, Matt Schaub will be named the starting QB. Rightfully so, after throwing well enough to accumulate a rating of 87.2. Schaub only played in 11 games of the 2007 campaign, filling in for him was Sage Rosenfels. Sage dominated the opponents, throwing for more TD's in 5 starts than Schaub did in 11 (12:9). Sage is comfortable with his spot as a backup and he understands that Schaub, being a bit prone to injury, could go down at anytime. The team is very sound at the QB position and look for that to not be a problem in the upcoming season. Defensive Diagnosis: The Texans all-in-all will be good on this side of the ball. Defense has never really been the teams proud spot, until about two years ago when a couple of guys by the name of DeMeco and Mario were drafted to the team. Yes, I do speak of DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams. To some it up; our D-Line is revamped, our LB corps is incredibly deep, and our secondary is missing it's savior (Dunta Robinson). Up front is the area where the opposition will fear. Mario Williams is coming off an amazing year in which he chalked up 14 sacks. Amobi Okoye, did everything expected of a rookie last year, and at 21 years old, hopes to have that DT spot claimed for the next few years. Also, Travis Johnson will return as a started at the other DT position. Johnson had a good year last year with 41 tackles. Travis has a bit of an attitude problem, but I doubt being a little angry never did bad on the field of play. At the other DE position, you'll find a tandem of players. Anthony Weaver is the named started, but will primarily play on rushing downs. On pass plays, expect former-Patriot addition, Roosevelt Colvin, to go in. Colvin was the talk of the Texans off season, by choosing to come to Houston as oppose to other bigger markets. Kubiak will find a place for Colvin on the field. The Texans also have reserve players Earl Cochran, N.D. Kalu, Tim Bulman, Frank Okam, Anthony Maddox, and Jeff Zgonina, all with much credibility and will all be competing for roster spots. The Texans show their true colors when talking about the Linebackers. DeMeco Ryans, arguably a top 3 LB in the NFL, will be back to pave the path to the QB. Ryans has made 283 tackles in two seasons, and was named as a Pro Bowler last year. Ryans has all of the attributes to be a superstar and it's just a matter of time before that potential is reached. Next to Ryans will be second-year player Zach Diles and Veteran Morlon Greenwood. Diles, who will be getting his first opportunity to start, will play the WLB position. Diles has great recognition of the offense, and makes huge hits. Greenwood, who had his best year as a Texan in 2007 (118 tkls.), will suit up again to play off of Mario Williams on the right side. Greenwood, 30, is back for another season and will contribute immensely. Backing up those three will be Chaun Thompson, Kevin Bentley, and rookie Xavier Adibi. All are excellent reserves and Adibi has the potential to be an amazing LB for years to come. The corps will be a force to be reckoned with and expect opposing runs to be shut down fairly significantly. An area of concern on the defense will be the secondary. Though 2007 proved to be a tough year for the corners and safeties, 2008 may be different-in the second half of the season. That is when Dunta Robinson returns. Robinson went out against the Raiders last year, after tearing his ACL on what many people deemed as a freak accident. Robinsons slot will be filled by Fred Bennett, who came on as a rookie last year and played above-par, totaling 62 tackles and 3 picks. Across from Bennett, will be off season signee Jacques Reeves. Reeves has been a corner for the Cowgirls for 4 years, and showed his ability to prevail in the clutch. Though, he does have some problems with coverage, Reeves will play well enough to hold his own until Robinsons return. Backing up the corners are; potential nickelback Jammar Fletcher, Peetey Faggins, and rookie Atwaun Molden. Molden, who excelled at corner for EKU last year, will get a plethora of opportunities with the injury to Dunta, and don't be surprised if he does well. At safety, the Texans will have Will Demps and C.C. Brown back. Both played well last year, and Demps revived his career (and name) through hard play and big hits. Also, Glen Earl, the teams former starting FS returns from injury and will push Demps for time. "Red Letter" Game: December 14, 2008. Tennessee Titans At Houston Texans. This is huge. Both teams entering this game will be fighting for third in the division, which like last year, could result in a chance at the wild card. The Titans beat Houston last year on Rod Baronis' record 8 made field goals, and revenge is oh so sweet. Season Projection: 9-7. I know, not great. But STILL an improvement over the 8-8 record last year. With a 9-7 record, the Texans may have an outside shot at squeaking into the playoffs. Don't get your hopes up too soon, as the team was only 1-5 against divisional teams. The AFC south is pretty damn tough. Parting Smack: Indianapolis Colts: Okay, we all know about Peyton Manning, the 6'5" QB with the rocket arm. Yea, awesome. Well, once Peyton got his ring, his acting career boomed. Except his acting sucked. So it's basically like watching a Helen Keller do A LOT of screaming when I see Gatorade commercials. I mean come on, the guy is doing exactly what Brett Favre is- leaving one field that you're great on and going to another one that you just happen to suck on! Seriously though, the Colts are good. Really good. And I'll be satisfied with one win against them. But if I have to see ONE MORE commercial featuring Manning, or his little brother, I think I'll be making vacation plans for the gallows. Jacksonville Jaguars: And here we are now, with the nasty Jaguars. So used to being the second best team in Florida, they finally did something about it! Drafted a lot of horrible first round receivers, let 'em do coke, and still they "remain optimistic about the future"! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I've never had a problem with the Jags, well besides the fact that their uniforms look like my vomit (only after eating really old salad), and I have no room to talk about being the second best in the state.. But jeeze Jacksonville, Del Rio can only get you out of a minor hole- y'all are in a crater Tennessee Titans: The good ole Titans are on deck now. The team that sucked so bad, Houston didn't want them. Well not really, but I'm sick of Vince Young and all his antics. I remember the hype around VY, Mario, and Reggie Bush prior to the draft. VY hardly passed a test designed for second graders. God, speaking of Helen Keller, I think she's back! Just dressed as some freak athlete in a powder blue costume. And then there is us. The Houston Texans. The team that until last year, no one knew about. And that has hardly changed. But we are here. I think it's time. No, I don't think it's time for a Super Bowl, but I think it's time to add another last name. The Houston Texan-Broncos. Sounds applicable. But let's face it, the front office loves the Broncos, the fans don't. We'll see who is right during Preseason Week 1. - John R. Harden

Texans Training Camp: Offensive Positional Updates

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:55:00 -0500

Just the facts, quick and dirty.Quarterback: Matt Schaub's the starter. Coach Kubiak claims that there's open competition (which I'm sure there is), but it doesn't look like Sage is much of a threat for now.Running Back: Ahman Green is starting; Slaton looks good, but he's been fumblin'; Walker and Taylor are neck and neck. The Texans signed former Broncos RB Mike Bell yesterday as insurance (and an extra body) while Chris Brown nurses a hangnail. Or something to the e...

Clean as a whistle until the end

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:42:00 -0500

The Houston Texans played a great game against the Giants. It was a hit or miss type of thing, and the Texans missed, twice. First with the wide 42 yard field goal attempt by Kris Brown. Then second, when we were in scoring postion, with just 5 minutes left on the clock Jameel Cook fumbled the ball and it was picked up by the Giants who then ran the clock down with 3 first downs. You played great guys. If you keep that up in the second half of the season I might have another victory to be pro...