Footballjoe Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 I was doing some research on another subject and ran across this but forgot to get the source. It should be out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rodgers Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 I was doing some research on another subject and ran across this but forgot to get the source. It should be out soon. Nice pickup!!! A little undersized but perfect for a cover 2 defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted March 17, 2007 Author Share Posted March 17, 2007 Confirmed per ESPN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 Unrestricted free agent Cato June, one of the NFL's top "cover two" linebackers, is headed to the team that all but invented the scheme that helped make him a Pro Bowl performer. June, who helped lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl XLI championship in 2006, on Saturday reached agreement with the Tampa Bay Bucs on a three-year contract. June visited with Bucs officials and coaches on Friday and the two sides struck a quick deal. ESPN.com has learned that June will sign a three-year contract worth slightly in excess of $12 million. But the structure of the contract, negotiated by the Manhattan-based Sportstars agency, will all but mandate that the Bucs revisit it before the three years is up. June was rated as the No. 11 player in ESPN.com's rankings of the top unrestricted free agents. Securing an active linebacker like June, an excellent player in pass coverage, should boost a Tampa Bay defense that slumped to 17th in the league last season. The Bucs had rated among the NFL's top 10 defenses in nine of the previous 10 seasons. June will team with Derrick Brooks to give the Bucs two of the top coverage linebackers in the league. It was key, given his skills-set, for June to land with a franchise that plays a "cover two" style and that goal was met with Saturday's deal. There was some speculation in the past few days that June might re-sign with the Colts, for whom he played the first four seasons of his career. Instead, he becomes the fourth starting linebacker to exit Indianapolis in free agency since 2003. Mike Peterson signed with Jacksonville in 2003, Marcus Washington with the Redskins in 2004 and David Thornton with Tennessee in 2006. June, 27, was a college safety at the University of Michigan, but the Colts, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2003 draft, quickly converted him to linebacker. He became a starter in only his second season with the team. In four seasons, June has 379 tackles, including 100-plus tackles in each of his three years as a starter. He also has one sack, 10 interceptions, two forced fumbles and three recoveries. He struggled at times against the run in 2006, often missing tackles and not holding up at the point of attack, but still led the Colts with 142 tackles. June was named to the Pro Bowl team after the 2005 season, a campaign in which he posted five interceptions. Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 NY Giants continue to do nothing through free agency so far and its making me sick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 NY Giants continue to do nothing through free agency so far and its making me sick As a redskins fan this makes me very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 NY Giants continue to do nothing through free agency so far and its making me sick According to my secret nfl sources... the Giants have been very impressed by the rookie LB offerings, and plan to start at least one rookie on the outside this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalboyd Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 What spot he play for the bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncosn05 Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 What spot he play for the bucks. LOLB- June MLB- Quarles ROLB- Brooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 I'm pretty surprised Leslie Frazier and the Vikings seemed to show no interest in him. It's not like our LB corps is rock solid. And Frazier would have experience with him. That might be a red flag right there for Bucs fans expecting much from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyOne Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 I'm happy with that, I don't think we've overpaid really with an average of four million a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted March 17, 2007 Share Posted March 17, 2007 LOLB- June MLB- Quarles ROLB- Brooks Quarles is done. It could be Ruud in the middle, or even Brooks to the middle with June at WLB. June can't shed blocks or tackle very well. He's a cover 2 LB, strictly. I just cant see June at SLB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I'm disappointed that Polian couldn't match freaking 3 years/$12 million. That's not an excessive amount for a very solid OLB. In fact, I'd say that the Bucs got a pretty good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I still don't get this signing. June is a WLB in a cover 2. That's it. Plug him in on the strong side, and it's gold all over again for TB at the SLB spot. They already had a very good cover 2 WLB in Brooks. Now, they have two, and neither one of them (imo) will do well anywhere other than WLB. As for Indy, I think Keiaho will replace June nicely. He might even be an upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 As a redskins fan this makes me very happy. As a Colts fan, me too. He's quite overrated. Thx Bucs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 As for Indy, I think Keiaho will replace June nicely. He might even be an upgrade. You're right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingers Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) I still don't get this signing. June is a WLB in a cover 2. That's it. Plug him in on the strong side, and it's gold all over again for TB at the SLB spot. They already had a very good cover 2 WLB in Brooks. Now, they have two, and neither one of them (imo) will do well anywhere other than WLB. As for Indy, I think Keiaho will replace June nicely. He might even be an upgrade. From This morning's Tampa Tribune QUOTE June, 27, was the Colts' starting weakside linebacker. But with Derrick Brooks manning that spot, the Bucs could move June to another spot. There's a chance the fifth-year pro will compete with Ryan Nece and Jamie Winborn for the starting strongside spot, but there's also a chance he'll work at middle linebacker, at least on passing downs. This would surely hurt Ruud's value. The entire article is a good read - here it is: June Arrives Early For Bucs Skip directly to the full story. By ROY CUMMINGS The Tampa Tribune Published: Mar 18, 2007 TAMPA - The Bucs beefed up their linebacking corps Saturday by plucking a player off the roster of the reigning Super Bowl champions. Cato June, who started every game for the Indianapolis Colts during their Super Bowl XLI title run, became the newest member of the Bucs when he signed a three-year contract believed to be worth approximately $12 million. June, 27, was the Colts' starting weakside linebacker. But with Derrick Brooks manning that spot, the Bucs could move June to another spot. There's a chance the fifth-year pro will compete with Ryan Nece and Jamie Winborn for the starting strongside spot, but there's also a chance he'll work at middle linebacker, at least on passing downs. At 6 feet, 227 pounds, June is considered undersized to play the strong side, but his speed and cover skills make him an ideal choice to be on the field in nickel situations. June's cover skills and versatility could prove critical to the Bucs' cause, especially if Shelton Quarles, the team's starting middle linebacker since 2002, is forced to sit out the 2007 season because of medical concerns. Quarles, who has been on a USO tour of the Middle East, recently said he expects to learn whether doctors will advise him not to play by the end of this month. Should Quarles be forced to retire or miss part of the 2007 season, the Bucs might opt to work June and heir apparent Barrett Ruud in a platoon at middle linebacker. No matter where he plays, June should help a defense that ranked 17th last year and struggled to avoid giving up big plays in the passing game. Though he often struggles to stop the run, June has recorded more than 100 tackles in each of his three seasons as a Colts starter. He led Indy in tackles in 2006 with 162. A former college safety, June also has 10 interceptions as a pro. Despite those numbers, June received little attention during the early days of the free agency signing period. Interest in June began to increase as the Giants and Bucs began arranging visits with the former Michigan standout. The Colts also were interested in re-signing June. "Cato really wanted to stay there and I know how badly they wanted him," June's agent, Brian Mackler, told the Indianapolis Star. "It just didn't work out." Reporter Roy Cummings Freddie Keiaho - I certainly agree with this. The kid has a lot of talent and should fill in nicely. I sure hope so as I own him in two leagues. Edited March 18, 2007 by Stingers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncosn05 Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Quarles is done. It could be Ruud in the middle, or even Brooks to the middle with June at WLB. June can't shed blocks or tackle very well. He's a cover 2 LB, strictly. I just cant see June at SLB. I don't think so. Quarles had another good season and am not counting him out yet. And June had a hell of a "tackling" season last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalboyd Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 Quarles is done. It could be Ruud in the middle, or even Brooks to the middle with June at WLB. June can't shed blocks or tackle very well. He's a cover 2 LB, strictly. I just cant see June at SLB. 142 Tackles are you sure he cant tackle someone. Stats don't lie. http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/396004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 142 Tackles are you sure he cant tackle someone. Stats don't lie. http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/396004 That's why he is strictly a cover 2 WLB. Put him at SLB, and watch his numbers plummet. Sure, he had big tackle numbers, but that is more a scheme thing, than June being a good tackler. Sometimes, stats do lie. Pennington had 16 TD's, but also 16 INT's. Hardly numbers that would indicate he was on a team that made the playoffs... but he played better than the stats make him appear. I base my opinion on watching him play, and on what most Colts homers have to say about him... he isn't a very good tackler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rodgers Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I don't think so. Quarles had another good season and am not counting him out yet. And June had a hell of a "tackling" season last year. Reports are that he has some kind of illness that might make him retire. If it were not for that then sure, he has a couple more years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broncosn05 Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) That's why he is strictly a cover 2 WLB. Put him at SLB, and watch his numbers plummet. Sure, he had big tackle numbers, but that is more a scheme thing, than June being a good tackler. Sometimes, stats do lie. Pennington had 16 TD's, but also 16 INT's. Hardly numbers that would indicate he was on a team that made the playoffs... but he played better than the stats make him appear. I base my opinion on watching him play, and on what most Colts homers have to say about him... he isn't a very good tackler. He's undersized but is an EXTREMELY good OLB. I just do not agree at all. Edited March 18, 2007 by broncosn05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) He's not a bad tackler, IMO, it's just that he's so darn small, he has a hard time shedding blocks. But he's great in coverage. I don't see any way he can play the strong side though. He'd get man-handled. Edited March 18, 2007 by CaptainHook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 As for Indy, I think Keiaho will replace June nicely. He might even be an upgrade. Drafted him in my IDP BOTH league last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Swerski Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 I still don't get this signing. June is a WLB in a cover 2. That's it. Plug him in on the strong side, and it's gold all over again for TB at the SLB spot. They already had a very good cover 2 WLB in Brooks. Now, they have two, and neither one of them (imo) will do well anywhere other than WLB. I had forgotten that Brooks was a WLB. Agreed that June would probably struggle somewhat at SLB. As for June's tackling, I think that some people here are confusing him with Gilbert Gardner. Also consider that the Colts D-line was ravaged with injuries for most of last season. Simon was out the entire season. Reagor did a face-plant on his windshield halfway through the season. Raheem Brock is more of a utility D-lineman than a starting DT. Booger McFarland was double-teamed for a good part of last season while Freeney was playing hurt. Remember how Urlacher suddenly lost the ability to shed blocks right after the Bears lost Ted Washington and Keith Traylor? As for Indy, I think Keiaho will replace June nicely. He might even be an upgrade. An upgrade? Based on what? The two regular-season games that he played last season? Teams are going run off-tackle at the Colts all of next season and it ain't gonna be pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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