http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/2471 Recent articles about Cato June en-us This is a tough spot for the Buccaneers.  Last season Cato June was supposedly the starting SLB, but primarily played the Will spot on every down but first down.  We have a few hybrid players that can play this position.  This is one of the few spots on the entire Buccaneers roster that I believe is open for competition come training camp time.  It became obvious to anyone watching the Bucs last season that Derrick Brooks had lost a step (I love Derrick Brooks, so hopefully nobody tries to Duemig me and say I hate the guy).   Cato June could permanently move to WLB, with someone stepping up and taking over this SLB spot on a more permanent basis.  Currently on the Roster - Cato June, Ryan Nece, Charles Bennett, Quincy Black Gauranteed Roster Spots - Cato June, Quincy Black As I stated previously I think the coaching staff has high hopes for Quincy Black.  Would our defense be much worse if Cato moved to the WLB spot and Quincy Black won the SLB spot outright in camp.  DB could still get 20 snaps a game on defense, and his leadership is still top notch.     This should be a great camp battle in my opinion.  No Chance - All have a chance to make the roster Battling for Spots - Ryan Nece, Charles Bennet Ryan Nece would make the perfect 5th LB on a corp that consisted of Ruud, DB, Quincy Black and Cato June.  Nece has the ability to play all 3 spots on our LB corps.  Former Clemson LB Charles Bennett, a 7th round draft pick of the Bucs in '06 is battling Nece for the 5th LB spot.  He brings some versatility to the table ala Ryan Nece.  He was on the IR last season with a knee injury so he will have to prove to the Bucs that he is healthy and able to supplant a guy in Nece where we know what he is capable of bringing to the table.  Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:04:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290709 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290709 This is a tough spot for the Buccaneers.  Last season Cato June was supposedly the starting SLB, but primarily played the Will spot on every down but first down.  We have a few hybrid players that can play this position.  This is one of the few spots on the entire Buccaneers roster that I believe is open for competition come training camp time.  It became obvious to anyone watching the Bucs last season that Derrick Brooks had lost a step (I love Derrick Brooks, so hopefully nobody tries to Duemig me and say I hate the guy).   Cato June could permanently move to WLB, with someone stepping up and taking over this SLB spot on a more permanent basis.  Currently on the Roster - Cato June, Ryan Nece, Charles Bennett, Quincy Black Gauranteed Roster Spots - Cato June, Quincy Black As I stated previously I think the coaching staff has high hopes for Quincy Black.  Would our defense be much worse if Cato moved to the WLB spot and Quincy Black won the SLB spot outright in camp.  DB could still get 20 snaps a game on defense, and his leadership is still top notch.     This should be a great camp battle in my opinion.  No Chance - All have a chance to make the roster Battling for Spots - Ryan Nece, Charles Bennet Ryan Nece would make the perfect 5th LB on a corp that consisted of Ruud, DB, Quincy Black and Cato June.  Nece has the ability to play all 3 spots on our LB corps.  Former Clemson LB Charles Bennett, a 7th round draft pick of the Bucs in '06 is battling Nece for the 5th LB spot.  He brings some versatility to the table ala Ryan Nece.  He was on the IR last season with a knee injury so he will have to prove to the Bucs that he is healthy and able to supplant a guy in Nece where we know what he is capable of bringing to the table.  Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:04:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290709 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290709 Weakside Linebacker might be the strongest position on the Bucs roster.  We have surefire first ballot Hall of Famer and a former defensive player of the year Derrick Brooks, as well as a slew of recent draft picks, and last years' free agent acquisition Cato June.   While Brooks has shown a loss of some lateral speed in the last few years, he still is one of the smartest defensive players in the game.  The addition of June allowed Brooks to come off of the field in some nickel situation last season and we should see some more of that this season as well.  Currently on the Roster - Quincy Black, Derrick Brooks, Antoine Cash, Geno Hayes, Cato June Gauranteed Spots - Quincy Black, Derrick Brooks, Cato June June played both the Sam Linebacker position as well as the Will Linebacker position last year, when him and DB were on the field together.  We could field a similar strategy this season as well.  Cato had 90 tackles and 1 Int last season.  Quincy Black is a 3rd round pick from last season's draft class, and saw action in 15 games and ended up with 30 tackles.  He will continue to see a few downs a game on the field as a linebacker and regular time on special teams.  I have huge hopes for the future with Quincy Black.  He seems to have exceptional speed, and learning under some guys like Brooks and June will surely help in the development of any young player.  No Chance - All have a chance to make the roster Battling for spots - Antoine Cash, Geno Hayes Gruden and Monte Kiffin have been speaking very highly of former FSU player Geno Hayes.   The guy has incredible speed, and is built very similar to the way DB was when he first came into the league.  The obvious Brooks comparisons were made the whole time he was a 'Nole.  He's not quite DB though!  At worst, he would seem to have a chance to be a freakish special teams player.  Antoine Cash is a freakish special teams player but did not get a chance to prove himself after a knee injury left him on the IR all last season.  I know Monte loves this guy, and him and Geno should have a nice battle in camp to land a roster spot.  I will say though, there is a small possibility, depending on the number of defensive lineman that we carry, that neither guy makes the final 53.  Hayes would seemingly be a great candidate for the practice squad at that point.  Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:07:45 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290214 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290214 Looking from the opposite side of the spectrum now.  After my top five draft busts from last week was such a hit (I never knew there were so many Rob Morris fans), I decided to do the top 5 draft steals.  Now, Polian's drafts will be under the microscope now.  This one will be easy to find the choices but hard to separate them.  I will only use steals from the draft, so no undrafted free agents.  Sorry Gary, Dominic, Big Ed. 5. Ryan Diem, Round 4, Pick 118, 2001: Diem has been a starter since his first season, and he hasn't looked back since.  Diem has been the right guard for the Colts since 2003, and he has been a great run blocker in his time in Indy.  Diem was a great pick in the fourth round, and he has helped the Colts line be dominate over the past 7 seasons.  Offensive lineman taken before him-Ben Hamilton out of Minnesota. 4. Bill Brooks, Round 4, Pick 86, 1986: This is the first and only non-Polian pick on this list.  Brooks was a solid receiver for the Colts for 7 seasons.  He had 5818 receiving yards in 7 seasons with the team.  He was also a fairly decent returner, averaging 6.8 yards per return on punts.  He was recently inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor.  Wide receiver taken before him-David Williams out of Illinois. 3. Cato June, Round 6, Pick 198, 2003: June and the two picks that follow were all tough for me to get the order on.  June was a phenomenal player when he was with the Colts.  He made the Pro Bowl in 2005, and he was a great pass defender.  He got 10 interceptions in 4 years with the Colts.  This all at outside linebacker.  Cato June was designed for the Tampa 2.  Linebacker taken before him-Joe Odom out of Purdue. 2. Robert Mathis, Round 5, Pick 138, 2003: My guess is most of you would have picked Mathis at number one.  Mathis has 42 sacks in five seasons.  He wasn't even a starter for the first three.  I'm not a big Mathis fan, but there is no denying that he pressures the quarterback on a consistent basis.  His play last season after Freeney got hurt and before his injury helped the Colts secondary out a lot.  He played great against Jacksonville, and he had a great forced fumble that helped the Colts get out on a good start.  He has 25 forced fumbles in his career as well.  A great all-around pass rusher.  Defensive end taken before him-Jamaal Green out of Miami (Fla.) 1. Antoine Bethea, Round 6, Pick 207, 2006: A little early, maybe.  However, Antoine Bethea did make the Pro Bowl this season and had 4 interceptions, leading the secondary.  Bethea was everything you could ask for out of a free safety.  He made the big plays with his interceptions, and he had 47 tackles in 13 games.  For someone who plays center field in the Tampa 2, that's pretty good.  Safety taken before him-Marcus Hudson out of North Carolina State. Photo by Darren Cummings, AP. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:02:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278689 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278689 In what seem like a minor occurence to most people, and even to some Bucs fans, Jake Plummer and the Bucs have agreed to a settlement on his retirement and the subsequent bonus money that was owed back to the Denver Broncos, and then the Bucs after the trade of Plummer to the Bucs for a 7th round pick. Plummer agreed to give the Bucs back 3.5 million dollars which will be applied to next years cap.  While it might seem minor being as though we're 10 trillion dollars under the cap,  it should be important as we look to lock up more of our young guys on the squad.  Another player that I'm glad has finally gone away.  I'm tired of seeing the little toasters that he drives around Tampa anyway, so this gaurantees one less of them! Bruce Allen continues to manage our cap brilliantly.  A lot of people have issue with the fact that we did not use some of the cap that we have on some of the garbage that was available via free agency this season, but I think we went about Free Agency in a logical, strategic manor.  The big names (if you can call Bernard Berrian a big name) did not fit our team with the amount of money they were demanding.  Allen went out and brought in players that fit our team, and will make a difference, ala Cato June last season.  Sun, 15 Jun 2008 09:09:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278126 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278126 After the Bucks beat the Falcons Cato June was arrested for DUI on Sunday night, it was his birthday as well. Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:09:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/37092 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/37092 With the 2007 NFL season right around the corner, FIO writers Matt Hinzpeter and Tim Hays square off against each other to discuss the NFC. FIO's "The Splits" is a debate/discussion style article between two FIO writers. See where Hinzpeter and Hays agree, and where they butt heads. Tue, 04 Sep 2007 00:53:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25834 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/25834 Here is my list of the 20 best backers in the league: 1. Brian Urlacher 2. Shawne Merriman 3. Ray Lewis 4. DeMarcus Ware 5. Adalius Thomas 6. Takeo Spikes 7. Mike Peterson 8. D.J. Williams 9. DeMeco Ryans 10. Lance Briggs 11. Lofa Tatupu 12. A.J. Hawk 13. Jonathan Vilma 14. Joey Porter 15. Zach Thomas 16. Derrick Brooks 17. Ernie Sims 18. Antonio Pierce 19. Julian Peterson 20. Cato June Honorable Mentions: Jeremiah Trotter, London Fletcher, Ian Gold, Nick Barnett, Keith Brooking, and Gary Brackett Sun, 12 Aug 2007 15:43:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23278 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/23278 The last draft i analyzed was the 2002 draft and that was a washout where some key positions were weak on talent. This draft is loaded on talent and could be very interesting so here is my 2003 all draft team. Offense QB: Carson Palmer Round 1 Pick 1 RB: Willis McGahee Round 1 Pick 23 RB: Larry Johnson Round 1 Pick 27 WR: Andre Johnson Round 1 Pick 3 WR: Anquan Boldin Round 2 Pick 54 TE: L.J. Smith Round 2 Pick 61 T: Jordan Gross Round 1 Pick 8 G: Eric Steinbach Round 2 Pick 33 C: Dan Koppen Round 5 Pick 164 G: Vince Manuwai Round 3 Pick 72 T: Tony Pashos Round 5 Pick 173 Defense: DE: Terrell Suggs Round 1 Pick 10 DT: Kevin Williams Round 1 Pick 9 DT: Cory Redding Round 3 Pick 66 DE: Robert Mathis Round 5 Pick 138 LB: Lance Briggs Round 3 Pick 68 LB: Nick Barnett Round 1 Pick 29 LB: Cato June Round 6 Pick 198 CB: Rashean Mathis Round 2 Pick 39 CB: Asante Samuel Round 4 Pick 120 S: Troy Polamalu Round 1 Pick 16 S: Ken Hamlin Round 2 Pick 42 Sun, 08 Jul 2007 03:49:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/18982 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/18982 If the Bucs interest in Lance Briggs is legit and the team was able to acquire him via trade, it would leave Tampa with three weakside linebackers (Cato June and Derrick Brooks being the second and third). While Brooks still has plenty in the tank, he's not the player he was just a few years ago. June and Briggs would enter camps with long term contracts and Brooks wouldn't. Hmmm. Mon, 14 May 2007 18:07:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/14053 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/14053 "Indianapolis Colts free agent linebacker Cato June has signed a three-year deal with Tampa Bay worth over $12 million dollars" Sun, 18 Mar 2007 04:01:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/11258 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/11258 A pretty solid list, but as the writer puts it, this group is "thinner than Nicole Ritchie." Scarcity leads to average guys getting big contracts. Who will be the NFL's Gil Meche? Sat, 03 Mar 2007 21:36:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/10729 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/10729 A breakdown of GP, tackles, INT, sacks, TD, and Pass Def since the 2001 season of the six high profile linebacker free agents. Those players are Brian Simmons, Adalius Thomas, Lance Briggs, London Fletcher, Cato June and Na'il Diggs. Does anyone fly under the radar more than London Fletcher? He's averaging 145 tackles per season over the last five years. He hasn't missed a game during that span. Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:05:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/8401 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/8401