In 5 months when the Bucs are (hopefully) in midseason form, no one is going to remember the offseason practices and the fact Jeff Faine wasn’t at some of them. I can see both sides of the argument; there is no defense, so who are you going to block? Just snap the ball? Isn’t that what “Hike Hike” is for?
Yet at the same time, Faine is a Captain and it looks better if he is there. You cant tell me there wouldn’t be a few players that would be more likely to attend the workouts if Faine is present as opposed to him not being there.
Joe Bucs fan was one of the critics of Faine’s decision, and its within Joe’s right to criticize, but its also within Faine’s right to argue the point.
On Friday Faine did just that, by responding with an open letter to all Buccaneer fans. The letter is available here after the page break.
Even before Joe criticized Jeff for not attending, our starting Center was quoted as criticizing Josh Freemans ability to gather players for workouts, seemingly offering a vote of no confidence in the QB. That was incorrect according to Faine; he simply meant he didn’t believe Freeman, or anyone for that matter, could get players together as well as an official workout can.
Rather than just let it go or keep it in house, Faine responded with an open letter for every to see, and that was the right thing to do. Maybe it doesn’t do anything to help the ‘Josh n Jeff’ relationship that obviously wasn’t rattled at all to begin with, but it does help the Bucs fans out there who need something, anything football related in a positive light to get them ready to buy season ticket packages at a time when footBall is not immediately on the mind.
Continue to read Jeff’s Open Letter to you the fans…
Open letter from Jeff Faine:
“I don’t typically respond to blogs but I found it necessary to respond to a recent post when my dedication to my team and the quality of my character as a captain was questioned. The Buccaneers fans deserve to hear the truth directly from me. There is nothing more I’d rather be doing than going through the offseason program and preparing for the upcoming season with my teammates on our journey to compete for a championship.
“Back in February when I was asked about the feasibility of organizing player workouts, I wasn’t questioning Josh Freeman’s ability as a leader, I was more saying how difficult it will be for any individual to logistically get the entire team together for an offseason program comparable to one organized by the Buccaneers. If I wasn’t clear on that matter, I apologize.
“I can assure you that my dedication to my team, the Buccaneers organization and the Tampa community has never wavered. I take pride in sharing not only football experience, but life skills and business knowledge that my teammates can use after their football careers end. This quality is why I have been voted a captain the past three years. It would be tough to find a player in this league that wears that captain’s patch with more pride.
“As Josh well knows, the relationship between a center and the quarterback is of utmost importance and he knows that I support him completely in his efforts to prepare during the lockout. Although I missed the first three days of field work in Tampa because of prior commitments, I will be part of future sessions to build team camaraderie. As professionals, we are all accountable for our training and preparation regardless of where we live in the off season. I can assure you I will do all I can to continue to build on our team success from last season.”
Go Bucs!
Jeff Faine
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