Game Day – Let’s Give Thanks

We think #80 should use some of the 5 million we're giving him to buy some Thanksgiving dinner for the needy!

This is the last game before Thanksgiving so it's a good time to take a look and see what we are thankful for this season.  It's an understatement to say that it's been a tough one so far, but we can think of a few bright spots that we are certainly thankful for.  Here's a quick list:

1) Sammie Stroughter - the rookie 7th round draft pick is, by some measures, our best wide receiver.  His 21 receptions and 246 receiving yards lead all wide receivers and he has been a stud on special teams too.

2) Kellen Winslow - he came in with a bad reputation but since then Winslow has said and done everything that could be expected of him.  He leads all Bucs receivers in receptions (42), yards (454) and most importantly touchdowns (5).

3) Maurice Stovall - the 4th year receiver is having his best season as a Buc, with 186 receving yards and 1 touchdown.  Though not spectacular numbers, it's easy to see the improvement he's made and the potential he has.

4) Michael Clayton - the Buc's #2 Wide Receiver (seriously, why has he not moved down the depth chart already?????) is 5th on the team in receptions, tied for 5th on the team in yards, and the only one of the top 8 receiving targets that has not caught a touchdown.  Clayton could have shut this site down just by producing a little bit on the field.  But since he hasn't/can't/won't do that, we are still going strong.

THANKS MIKE

P.S. Will there be any 80 Stitches clothes out in time to give them as Christmas presents. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Is Michael Clayton One Of The Greatest Of All Time?

Wait a sec, is this the T.O. pic or the Kanye pic?

In an article by Charles Robinson for Yahoo! Sports, the author quotes an unnamed league General Manager as saying: “I hear that he’s one of the greatest of all time, but I don’t buy it – never did.  He drops balls. He’s not a natural catcher. He’s not a great route runner, blah, blah, blah. He’s big and strong and good with the run after the catch, if he catches it. I can give you 100 negatives. It’s just not worth it."  He goes on to say, "You’re talking about using a guy knowing he’s a failure and who might shock you with a touchdown or two."

That's exactly what we've been saying about Clayton.

What's interesting to note here, however, is that the GM was actually referring to Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens.  Now, we're not sure which is more shocking, hearing these things about T.O., or seeing the eery similarity to Michael Clayton in his "prime".

So there you have it, Michael Clayton's career has officially reached it's pinnacle because we have just compared him to an old, washed up, stat-deprived Terrell Owens.  And we can guarantee you this is the first time he has EVER been compared to T.O. 

Hope you enjoyed your run Mike, it's all down hill from here.

The Gang @ 80Sucks.com

Would You Trade For This?

Do other GMs see the warning signs like we do?

In the wake of the Gaines Adams trade there has been speculation, notably from ProFootballTalk.com and JoeBucsFan.com, that Michael Clayton could be next. And while we would LOVE to see #80 leave, consider this. If you were an NFL General Manager with a fiduciary duty to improve your team, could you (in good conscience) trade anything for Michael Clayton?

If you looked at it by the numbers, you'd see that he broke out his rookie year catching 80 passes for 1,193 yards and 7 touchdowns. OK, so far so good, but what happened next?

Clayton then went on what you might call a dry spell. Specifically, he went on a touchdown drought that went through his entire sophomore season and beyond. In total it lasted for 651 days. Think about that, that's 1 year, 9 months, and 13 days. And keep in mind, he was actually playing during that time. It's not like he was on IR or anything.

OK, so what happened next? Did he get back on track and go back to his rookie form?

Well . . . not exactly. Actually, he followed up his 651 day drought with another drought. But this time he outdid himself. Instead of a measly 651 days, his next drought lasted 805 days. Yup, 805 days. That's 2 years, 2 months, and 13 days. Again, he was not on IR, he was actually on the field during most of the Bucs games.

(Imagine if you went to work, set your lunch bag down on your desk, got comfortable in your chair and then instead of doing some work, you just sat there. Doing nothing. Everyday. For 2 years, 2 months, and 13 days.

That's the type of employee that the Bucs signed to a brand new 5 year deal worth more than $25 million with $10 million guaranteed this offseason, on the heels of that stellar drought.)

So did Clayton take the new money, and the new head coach, and the new offensive coordinator, and the new quarterback, and his new confidence and burst on to the scene as a scoring machine?

Not exactly. He's actually working on a new drought that is currently at 293 days and counting. During that time he has recorded 10 catches and 7 drops. How long will this scoring drought last? Will he set a new personal record? History says he can and he will.

So if you're an NFL General Manager charged with improving the talent on your team, could you trade for Michael Clayton? Could you look at those numbers and somehow twist them into believing that Clayton could help your team? And how would you explain it to your fans who are undoubtedly reading 80Sucks.com and laughing about how terrible Clayton is? How do you spin it so they believe Clayton will stop making excuses and start producing?

We're not sure any GM in the league could do that or would do that. What do you think?

The Gang @ 80Sucks.com