Bruce "Almighty" Eugene

[MACHIAVELLI]

Signed by Tampa and will be allocated to NFL Europe.

[Mr. Tiger]

GREAT NEWS :thumbsup: I wish him good luck.

[TexasTerror]

What's his status as it relates to his position on the Grambling coaching staff? Was he a GA or an actual paid assistant?

[Mr. C]

Wonder if Doug Williams had something to do with Eugene getting signed and sent to Europe? This is likely his last chance at a pro career. Anyone know what kind of shape he is in these days?

[Mr. Tiger]

Wonder if Doug Williams had something to do with Eugene getting signed and sent to Europe? This is likely his last chance at a pro career. Anyone know what kind of shape he is in these days?

Judging from how he looked on Grambling's sidelines as a coach this year...fantastic. He dropped a ton of weight. He needs to market that weight loss plan. xlolx

[LeopardFan04]

Good news...best of luck to him...

[MACHIAVELLI]

GSU's Eugene gets another shot at NFL
By Nick Deriso
[email protected]

GRAMBLING — Bruce Eugene, Grambling's talented but too-hefty former quarterback, could get one more shot at the National Football League.

But first, he'll have to go overseas.

Eugene has been signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will be allocated to NFL Europe. There, he will compete in hopes of earning a roster spot back in the states, said Tampa personnel executive Doug Williams — who also signed Eugene to play collegiately while coaching at Grambling from 1998-2003.
"As a quarterback, it's good experience," Williams said. "He'll get the chance to take some snaps and play. Teams will have an opportunity to see film, to evaluate his talents. The ball is in his court."

Eugene, who finished his eligibility in 2005, has had two tryouts with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and was in the New Orleans Saints' camp early in the last offseason. He was also drafted by the Canadian Football League.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/SPORTS/701110344/1006

[TexasTerror]

What's his status as it relates to his position on the Grambling coaching staff? Was he a GA or an actual paid assistant?

And here's the answer...

"Eugene served as an assistant coach back at Grambling last year, making most of the offensive calls. He left with several other staff members after the firing of third-year coach Melvin Spears, who had replaced Williams." (Credit Nick Deriso, Monroe News Star)

[lizrdgizrd]

So if he was drafted by the CFL, why isn't he still playing there?

[Mr. C]

He didn't stay very long in Canada. Didn't like it there. Was complaining about all of the differences in the rules, etc. I still don't see Eugene doing much as a pro QB. You have to wonder if he would have gotten this shot if his old coach, Doug Williams, didn't work for Tampa Bay.

[MACHIAVELLI]

I wish his Wonderlic test was given the attention it is given to other players who are preceived not have great physical attributes.

[MACHIAVELLI]

Jan 17, 2007 -

On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced the signings of 14 free agent players, half of whom join the team for the first time.
Here is the full list of the players signed by the Buccaneers since the end of the 2006 season:

QB Bruce Eugene Grambling Undrafted signee by Saints in ‘06

Eugene bears the nickname “Round Mound of Touchdown” for this startling combination of numbers: He runs in the neighborhood of 280 pounds and he threw for 56 touchdowns with Grambling in 2005. Eugene was not drafted last April after his stunning senior season, but he did sign with the Saints, his hometown team, just after the draft. New Orleans, however, released him before going to training camp. Eugene’s 2005 campaign at Grambling also included 256 completions, 4,408 yards and only six touchdowns in 456 attempts. Though he lost most of the 2004 season to injury, Eugene also threw for 3,807 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2003. He was a three-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the Division I-AA equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.

http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=5627

[MACHIAVELLI]

Jan 23, 2007 -

Bruce Eugene signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2007 season but the next uniform he puts on may say “Fire” or “Thunder.” Kyle Smith became a Buc this month, too, but could soon be an Admiral or a Centurion.

Eugene, a former star quarterback at Grambling, and Smith, a hardworking young receiver from Youngstown State, are two of five players the Buccaneers will allocate to NFL Europa this season. The league, formerly known as NFL Europe and before that the World League, annually provides inexperienced NFL hopefuls a chance to hone their skills in live competition. The six teams in NFL Europa are populated in part by players allocated to it by each of the 32 NFL teams.

Joining Eugene and Smith overseas this spring will be wide receiver Jovon Bouknight, center/guard Jonathan Clinkscale and cornerback Carlos Hendricks. All are young players who came into the league as undrafted free agents and were recently signed or re-signed by the Buccaneers. Bouknight, like Eugene and Smith, is new to the Tampa Bay organization, while Clinkscale has been to two Buccaneer training camps and Hendricks saw time on the Bucs’ practice squad this past fall.

http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=5631

[GannonFan]

Could be the end of the road for Eugene if he doesn't perform well in Europe - typically it's the last proving ground for players who haven't latched on anywhere yet. It'll be interesting to see who he has to go up against just to start over there as being a starter is not a given for anybody. Like any other QB, there's a new class of graduates coming out every year - either you latch on somewhere quick or there'll be plenty of competition to go up against.

[TexasTerror]

Could be the end of the road for Eugene if he doesn't perform well in Europe - typically it's the last proving ground for players who haven't latched on anywhere yet. It'll be interesting to see who he has to go up against just to start over there as being a starter is not a given for anybody. Like any other QB, there's a new class of graduates coming out every year - either you latch on somewhere quick or there'll be plenty of competition to go up against.

Question is...will Eugene even get a chance in NFL Europe? I'm not certain he's going to be a starting QB in NFLE. He may get more chances to get looks from scouts and the such, but there's other QBs in NFLE that have actually taken a few snaps at the professional level (whether Arena, NFL, CFL or NFLE) that may be ahead of Eugene in the picking order...

[MACHIAVELLI]

Bruce Goes to Europe
QB Bruce Eugene was a Tiger at Grambling, he's a Buccaneer in the NFL and soon he'll be part of the Galaxy in NFL Europa

Buccaneers.com - Feb 24, 2007
Five of the newest members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who late last month were designated for assignment in NFL Europa, have been officially allocated to the teams they will be suiting up for this spring.

For the past five weeks, WR Jovon Bouknight, G Jonathan Clinkscale, QB Bruce Eugene, CB Carlos Hendricks and WR Kyle Smith have all known they will be making the trip overseas, but their exact locations were still unknown, as the nearly 150 NFL-allocated players had yet to be assigned to their teams.



http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=5673

[TexasTerror]

Where's Eugene on the depth chart? Think he'll be the starter? Saw there were two other QBs heading to Frankfurt (per a post earlier on AGS about NFLE allocations/draft). What can we expect? Will Eugene see the field when the regular season begins?

[Calilumber]

The coaching staff of the Galaxy will start the best QB. From what I understand they have a pretty open mind about incomming players.

Here's a little story....

My nephew (Roger Robinson) called me from Florida after the first day training camp for NFLe last year. He was a bit concerned..... he was in his first RB's meeting and the RB coach addressed each player while in the meeting. The coach mentioned seeing preseason film on the other two RB's. He was very impressed with the other two backs and mentioned to Roger that he had not seen any film on him (Roger was released by the AZ cards before he was able to play in any preseason games). The coach went on to speak very highly of the other two guys as Roger just sat and listened. I felt like crap when he was telling me the story. He was concerned about the glowing praise the other two backs received and thought the coaching staff would lean toward guys with NFL experiance.

When practice started the coaching staff allowed all backs to compete for the starting spot. Roger won the starting spot and went on to set the NFLe rushing record.

Bruce will get a legit shot at starting.

I looked to see the two other QB's on the Galaxy and I would think Bruce has a good shot. If I remember correctly the coaches are asked to start a different QB every week. They have two starters that rotate game after game. The 3rd string QB gets in when they can get to him.

[MACHIAVELLI]

Bruce will get a legit shot at starting.


All he needs.

[MR. CHICKEN]

BRUCE.......WORDS O' ADVICE............"SALAD BAR"......DOODLE-DOO!

[TexasTerror]

From Nick Deriso...TT's favorite FCS columnist east of Kent Schmidt...says a tough road lies ahead for the Grambling star...

The problem: Frankfurt rode returning quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan -- the former New Orleans Saints backup -- to a championship overseas last season.

That doesn't seem to set up well for Eugene, who needs meaningful playing time to display his skills after a year spent as an assistant at Grambling under former coach Melvin Spears.

Eugene, who had an overall record of 30-8 as a starter at GSU in 2002-03 and 2005, is undaunted.

"It'll give me an opportunity to learn some valuable things about running an NFL offense, even if I don't start," he said.

Eugene threw for a staggering 13,530 yards with 133 touchdowns and just 36 interceptions at GSU, but went undrafted. This could be his last, best shot at a pro career. But it doesn't promise to be easy.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/news/blogs/blog3/2007/03/tough-road.html

[Calilumber]

From Nick Deriso...TT's favorite FCS columnist east of Kent Schmidt...says a tough road lies ahead for the Grambling star...

The problem: Frankfurt rode returning quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan -- the former New Orleans Saints backup -- to a championship overseas last season.


WOW, Nick Deriso needs to get his facts straight. J.T. O'Sullivan, wasn't even on the Galaxy team last year. The had Craig Ochs, some guy from the carsds and another guy (forget who). The Galaxy did not ride any QB to the championship last year:nono: . The ran the crap out of the ballxidiotx . Qb's get a ton of chances in NFLe, this guy knows nothing.... they ROTATE!

[TexasTerror]

WOW, Nick Deriso needs to get his facts straight. J.T. O'Sullivan, wasn't even on the Galaxy team last year. The had Craig Ochs, some guy from the carsds and another guy (forget who). The Galaxy did not ride any QB to the championship last year:nono: . The ran the crap out of the ballxidiotx . Qb's get a ton of chances in NFLe, this guy knows nothing.... they ROTATE!

From NFLEurope.com....


"We are naturally very pleased to have J.T. O'Sullivan (Chicago Bears) and Kevin Eakin back with us," Jones admitted. "They know what it takes to win in this league and they will fight it out in camp, along with Bruce Eugene, who has a strong arm and good legs."

http://www.nfleurope.com/news/story/10032938

Apparently J.T O'Sullivan took the squad to the World Bowl in 2004...


J.T. O’Sullivan completed 19 of his 33 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the final period, but also threw two costly interceptions. The teams combined for a World Bowl record ten turnovers – recording five apiece.

http://www.nfleurope.com/worldbowl/news/story/7415040

[MACHIAVELLI]

Quarterbacks
J.T. O'Sullivan (Chicago Bears)
Bruce Eugene (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Kevin Eakin (Free Agent)

http://www.nfleurope.com/teams/story/FRA/10023479

[Mr. C]

Where's Eugene on the depth chart? Think he'll be the starter? Saw there were two other QBs heading to Frankfurt (per a post earlier on AGS about NFLE allocations/draft). What can we expect? Will Eugene see the field when the regular season begins?
I have my doubts that Eugene will be anything other than a third-string QB there, unless injuries hit. Both of the other two QBs have quite a bit more experience. Bruce will have to be at his best to make the most of this chance.

[GannonFan]

Agreed, it's an uphill battle for Eugene just to get playing time over there. Despite what a previous poster implied, they don't rotate QB's often in Europe. There may be some rotation very early in the year if they haven't settled on a QB, but more often than not one guy wins out and gets all the playing time. Eugene will have to impress right away in camp just to have a chance to be in the mix. It isn't impossible, but like I said, it's an uphill road. Time will tell of course.

[MACHIAVELLI]

The star of the final action of the day was returning Galaxy quarterback J.T. O'SULLIVAN (Chicago Bears), who looked in midseason form as he completed six of seven attempts for 94 yards. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-allocated passer BRUCE EUGENE also came out with the hot hand as he completed four of five throws for 63 yards.

source (http://oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3439639)

[R.A.]

good luck "Boo Hoo"

[flea]

Agreed, it's an uphill battle for Eugene just to get playing time over there. Despite what a previous poster implied, they don't rotate QB's often in Europe. There may be some rotation very early in the year if they haven't settled on a QB, but more often than not one guy wins out and gets all the playing time. Eugene will have to impress right away in camp just to have a chance to be in the mix. It isn't impossible, but like I said, it's an uphill road. Time will tell of course.


I don't know what you've been watching but a QB does not start & play every snap of every game in NFLE. Hasn't done for years unless theres been an injury. 2 QB's will play every game usually rotatinfg by the Qtr.

[PDXCat]

It appears Bruce Eugene was released by the Galaxy and quickly found a spot with the Berlin Thunder. They earlier released Walt Washington. With Omar Jacobs out for the next 4-6 weeks the Round Mound of Touchdown will be backing up Travis Lulay and it looks like they will only have the 2 qb's on the team for now.

(This is a translated version from the actual Berlin Thunder website)

After three weeks training Camp in Tampa, Florida, and four test comparisons against the league competition had Berlin Thunder Head Coach John everything in the Sunday evening the agony of the choice. The coach of Berlin Thunder had to still paint 15 players from the provisional Trainingscamp cadre, come over on the final rust he size of 47 to man.

The most interesting decision fell on the Quarterbackposition, on which walter Washington for too weak was found. Since also Spielmacher Omar Jacobs (Kansas town center Chiefs) tightened itself a painful Knöchelverstauchung toward end of the Camps, advanced for Washington Quarterback Bruce Eugene (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), which was released of Frankfurt Galaxy.

[flea]

It appears Bruce Eugene was released by the Galaxy and quickly found a spot with the Berlin Thunder. They earlier released Walt Washington. With Omar Jacobs out for the next 4-6 weeks the Round Mound of Touchdown will be backing up Travis Lulay and it looks like they will only have the 2 qb's on the team for now.

(This is a translated version from the actual Berlin Thunder website)

After three weeks training Camp in Tampa, Florida, and four test comparisons against the league competition had Berlin Thunder Head Coach John everything in the Sunday evening the agony of the choice. The coach of Berlin Thunder had to still paint 15 players from the provisional Trainingscamp cadre, come over on the final rust he size of 47 to man.

The most interesting decision fell on the Quarterbackposition, on which walter Washington for too weak was found. Since also Spielmacher Omar Jacobs (Kansas town center Chiefs) tightened itself a painful Knöchelverstauchung toward end of the Camps, advanced for Washington Quarterback Bruce Eugene (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), which was released of Frankfurt Galaxy.



This happens in this league if theres injuries. Last season BJ Symons played for Berlin all day & joined the Galaxy in the World Bowl due to injuries

[MACHIAVELLI]

Bruce Eugene, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, threw a 62-yard bomb to WR Brandon Middleton, while Anthony Sherrell rounded out the scoring with a 70-yard breakaway rushing touchdown.
...
O’Sullivan went 4-for-7 on the day for a total of 91 yards, while Eugene completed three of his six passing attempts, gaining 45 yards. Kevin Eakin, allocated by the Buffalo Bills, totaled 51 yards off three completions.

http://www.dabearz.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21495

[MACHIAVELLI]

Berlin Thunder

Ricardo Dickerson LB Waived-Injured
Mike Brown DE Waived
Efe Ewvaraye LB Waived
D.J. Fitzpatrick K Waived
Stef Hupsel RB Waived
Jay McCareins CB Waived
Robin Meadow T Waived
Scott Mitchell WR Waived
Bernard Opuku S Waived
Cuneyt Topcu LB Waived
Gerran Walker WR Waived
Walter Washington QB Waived
Dewane Whitmore S Waived
Darius Williams TE Waived
John Wilson T Waived
Omar Jacobs QB Injured Reserve
Steve Sanders WR Injured Reserve
Sha-ron Edwards RB League Active Player
Jason Flowers CB League Active Player
Seante Williams DE Practice Squad Player
DeMario Williams S Practice Squad Player
Bruce Eugene QB Re-assigned from Frankfurt
Jason Peterson DE Re-assigned from Hamburg
Dave Tollefson DE Re-assigned from Frankfurt

[MACHIAVELLI]

http://www.gramblingstateuniversity.com/Eugene10.jpg

Eugene Gets His Chance

Buccaneers.com
Quarterback Bruce Eugene, who played only sparingly through the first eight weeks of the 2007 NFLEL campaign, was given the start – and, in fact, every snap – in the Berlin Thunder’s Week Nine matchup with the Rhein Fire.

Eugene, the 6-0, 283-pound passer nicknamed “Round Mound of Touchdown” while at Grambling, had been given a few mid-game cameos behind starter Travis Lulay in previous weeks. In his first start overseas, he completed 15 of 30 passes for 176 yards and one interception. The surprisingly mobile passer also ran seven times for 46 yards and the game’s first touchdown. Unfortunately, his Thunder were edged, 24-17, by the Fire in a game between two teams already eliminated from postseason play.

Eugene drove the Thunder 72 yards for a score on the first possession of the game, finishing it with a 10-yard scoring run on third-and-six. The Fire responded with two quick touchdowns before Berlin scored the next 10 points to retake the lead at 17-14. Eugene’s toughest moment followed, a short pass intended for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Steve Sanders that was intercepted by linebacker Jamar Enzor and returned seven yards for a touchdown.

Though Eugene led the Thunder to 425 yards of offense, neither team scored after halftime and Berlin fell to 2-7 on the season, including 0-5 at home. Another Buccaneer allocate, wide receiver Kyle Smith, also played in the game for Berlin, returning two punts for 11 yards.

[Jax]

Give em h3ll Bruce.xthumbsupx

[mikebigg]

Give em h3ll Bruce.xthumbsupx

Bruce can play... I hope he stays after it and continues to pursue his dream. His arm is big time and now that he's showing better work ethics he should do fine. Good luck Bruce! xnodx

[GannonFan]

Not to rain on everyone's parade, and while I too would love to see another FCS guy do well in the pros, Bruce's days are numbered in the NFL. He's got little to no chance to hang on with the Bucs, barring injuries, as they have 7 QB's on the depth chart right now, none of whom Eugene will probably beat out (except for maybe Taylor). You could see them keep 3 on the roster and 1 on the practice squad, but that means he needs to beat out 3 of those guys (Simms, Garcia, Plummer, McCown, Gradkowski, and Taylor). His chances of hanging with the Bucs wouldn't look too good. Europe would've been good for him if he'd played, but with the minimal playing time it's almost a non-factor. Either he really hits it off with a coach somewhere and becomes a project or he's looking into Arena ball or Canada or the regular job market. No shame in that - plenty of good QB's have had to face that reality.

[MACHIAVELLI]

...he's got as strong an arm as I've ever seen," Gruden said. "He might make Doug and Shack look bad throwing the ball. He can really wing it, but he's a bit of a project right now.

Grambling's White Tiger Blog (http://www.thenewsstar.com/news/blogs/blog3/2007/06/in-running.html)

[TexasTerror]

Bucs updates on it's NFLE players...

QB Bruce Eugene, Berlin Thunder:

Eugene’s chance to start arose when Lulay suffered a mild shoulder injury in the eighth game of the season. Though Lulay wasn’t completely ruled out of action for the last two weeks – he still served as the emergency third quarterback for both games – he didn’t take any reps in practice and the job was Eugene’s for the last two weeks.

The Thunder was a league-worst 2-6 at the time, and that record didn’t improve under Eugene, as Berlin lost both of his starts. However, Eugene helped make both games highly competitive, as the Thunder lost 24-17 to Rhein in Week Nine and 21-20 to Amsterdam in Week 10. With those two games and a few spot appearances in four other contests, Eugene finished the season with 408 yards on 31-of-74 passing, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. As mentioned, he proved capable of making big plays with his feet, gaining 163 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.

At Grambling, Eugene was a three-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the Division I-AA equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. As a senior in 2005, he threw a stunning 56 touchdown passes versus just six interceptions.

http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=5844

[already123]

I never did like Lulay....GIVE EM heII BRUCE!

And I never could understand how some one could have the type of season he had (56tds v 6 INTs) and NOT win the Payton....ROBBERY I TELL YA!!!

[MACHIAVELLI]

I never did like Lulay....GIVE EM heII BRUCE!

And I never could understand how some one could have the type of season he had (56tds v 6 INTs) and NOT win the Payton....ROBBERY I TELL YA!!!

Not even a finalist in 2005, but that is another story for another day.

[gmoney55]

Because they played an extremely soft schedule and ran up the score. It's more than numbers. Santos could have put up those type of numbers that season as well, but UNH had enough class (unlike Melvin Spears) to remove the starters when the game was in hand.

[MACHIAVELLI]

Because they played an extremely soft schedule and ran up the score. It's more than numbers. Santos could have put up those type of numbers that season as well, but UNH had enough class (unlike Melvin Spears) to remove the starters when the game was in hand.

Unless you know the entire story please don't judge. Look at Bruces numbers year to year. What happened in 2005 was not out of the ordinary. He was a great college player.

[already123]

I'm pretty sure Santos hasn't gotten close to those numbers....recently Meyer got close and he won the Payton...so whats up with that?! I agree with MACHIAVELLI, it was completely characteristic for him to put up numbers like that. 5 TD games were common place. In either case, you can't refute the fact that the man only threw 6 INTS!!! Nicholls St had that many if I'm not mistaken and they throw the ball 100 times a year


Eugene deserves all accolades and more !

[MACHIAVELLI]

With QB Bruce Eugene recovering from a late-season injury, the Bucs have shifted his NFL Europa exemption to Monday’s new signee, tackle Jabari Levey, a former South Carolina standout

Eugene, who started the Thunder’s last two games after quarterback Travis Lulay sustained his own shoulder injury, has been placed on an NFL Europe injured reserve list, freeing his exemption for use on another player. The former Grambling quarterback will now head to the NFLEL’s treatment center in Birmingham; when he is deemed fully healthy again, the Buccaneers will have to choose whether to keep that exemption on Levey or Eugene.

http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=5849

[PDXCat]

I never did like Lulay....GIVE EM heII BRUCE!



Could that be because everytime you played MSU, you got your butts kicked? Remember the time in Bozeman, when you had the best team in recent memory, and Lulay almost single handedly brought MSU back from certain defeat and they scored 2 touchdowns in the last 2 minutes. Sweetness it was.

[flea]

I thought they done away with the exemption last season????

[already123]

exactly...

[Catmendue2]

Bruce aint close to done. Tampa likes Bruce and so does Gruden.xthumbsupx