Bucs Washing Hands Of Antonio Bryant
February 25th, 2010
The Antonio Bryant era with the Bucs is finished.
That’s the word from Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
Raheem the Dream announced Thursday that the Bucs would not bring the talented Bucs wide receiver back for the 2010 season.
Cummings has learned that the Bucs have no intention of signing the free agent wide receiver, who last year the Bucs kept with a franchise tag.
Though they plan to make a point of improving the talent around quarterback Josh Freeman, the Bucs have decided to part ways with Bryant, whom the team tagged as their franchise player just a year ago.
“Antonio missed a lot of time last year and I’m not trying to blame Antonio but really, right now, we’re going in a young direction,” Bucs coach Raheem Morris said Thursday during a break at the NFL Scouting Combine. “We’re going to choose to move on. He’s going to test the free-agent market and its going to be our decision to move on and go in another direction.”
Bryant, 29, caught 83 passes for 1,248 yards and seven touchdowns in 2008 but struggled with knee problems all through the 2009 season and caught just 39 balls, still the second-most on the team, in 13 games.
Joe wonders if Dez Bryant is climbing up the Bucs’ mock draft chart.
It’s getting very, very interesting.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
If its going to take a #3 pick to sign Marshall, so be it. A better move by far compared to drafting Dez bryant or trading for injury prone Boldin.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Sad. Freeman needs to progress, so we take away his top WR option and replace him with FA WR .
Mark needs to make up for this decision by: (1) Taking McCoy\Suh with the #3 pick, (2) moving back up into the 1st round and taking Dez Bryant or (2a) making a trade for Marshall.
As the old Right Guard commercial says, “Anything less, would be uncivilized.”
February 25th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
That should have said …with FA WR *insert low-budget, over-the-hill, name here*.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
If the Bucs draft Dez, how many times during a draft interview will Raheem say Big, Fast, and Physical?
February 25th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Joe,
The next press conference will be to announce that Michael Clayton has been cut, and “I dare anyone to say otherwise”….
Just let the sorry man go already.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
How many still think we are drafting defense first?
February 25th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
AND CLAYTON IS STILL ON THE TEAM!!!??? You gotta be f*ucking be kidding me. Those clowns better do something REAL impressive at the WR position this offseason if they are going to keep Freeman from turning into a bust. Freeman should be concerned.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
We NEED atleast 1 proven WR from free agency, we can’t go into next season with Sammie Stroughter as our best wide out. Even if we did draft Dez Bryant we can’t hope for him to be a immediate #1 receiver.
Brandon Marshall we need you more than ever!!!
February 25th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Well VM has been saying this for quite a while, so we shouldn’t be too surprised. This almost guarantees that the Bucs will pick a WR in one of their top 3 picks. I think they can still get a quality one in the 2nd round. Pick a difference maker for your D in the first round. Not sure I want to pick Berry at #3 or Dez for that matter. A high draft pick on WR just brings back bad memories on all those wasted Detroit Lions picks. Even Calvin Johnson hasn’t lived up to his lofty draft status. It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out. I still believe that both DTs will be gone.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Wow Raheem and Dominik’s offseason decisions are starting off great.
Now excuse me, while I wipe the sarcasm off my keyboard!
February 25th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
You know, if only Michael “couldn’t catch a cold, if he licked a walk-in clinic’s floor” Clayton could only show the love and hold on to the ball as long as the Bucs have held on to him!
February 25th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Technically, AB is on the team thru March 5th. Clayton could still be cut before AB’s contract expires.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
It doesn’t make sense to come out and say something so definitive. If you say anything at all, why not say “we’d like to re-sign him, we’ll just have to see how the market plays out”. The only reason I can think of / hope for is that they already have a plan in place to pick up what they feel is a #1 WR. Personally, I would love to see Marshall in here for a 2nd round pick. I really hope we didn’t do this as a preluede to acquiring Boldin.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
I’m with Eric s. WRs & DEs seem to have the highest bust rates of any positions.
February 25th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
unfortunately it also says this towards the end of the article….
“One of the receivers the Bucs have decided to let Freeman grow with is Michael Clayton, whom Morris said will be back. Morris is excited to see the impact of new receivers coach Eric Yarber on Clayton’s productivity.”
Now even I’m starting to wonder what the hell they are thinking.
Clayton has to have some compromising pictures of the Joel and Bryan.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Clayton should have been cut already! Oh yeah, that’s right Dominik said they will wait and see how his offseason is going, afterall that’s when it counts, lol!
February 25th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
d-money, “Clayton has to have some compromising pictures of the Joel and Bryan.” He did and he has “dropped” them off at One Buc Place!
February 25th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Nothing to see here… all part of the plan… Everyone knows teams get better after letting their best players leave. Just like hiring our 2 coordinators and firing them less than a year later…
Don’t worry… there is a plan in place and all these things that look really stupid… are actually… a part of the plan. They are 20 steps ahead of us simple fans that we could never understand the complexity of the plan…
We should all smile, with a blank stare on our faces… and trust… that there is a plan.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Well the choice is simple now…if the two tackled are gone , draft Dez.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:15 pm
I’m pretty mush directly stealing a post from another guy on another site, but I liked it so, what if we….
1. Are lucky enough to get Suh or McCoy at #3, then trade a 2nd for Marshall and use the other to draft a top WR. (Golden Tate or Demaryius Thomas)
2. Miss out on Suh and McCoy so we draft Dez Bryant in the first, still draft a top WR in the 2nd, and use the other 2nd to get a solid DT like Tyson Alualu?
3. Draft Dez Bryant in the first, trade a second for Marshall, and take the best DT available with our toher second?
I think all three of those scnerios sound very good. I think Dom is a mad scientist. He knows what he’s doing. Have some faith.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
They think a new WR coach is going to help Michael “you betting not write anything bad about” Clayton!!!??? WOW! They are actually going to stake the future of Freeman’s development in Clayton’s stone hands?
February 25th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
Draft five WR’s. I dont care, they will all still be ROOKIES!
February 25th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
You act like rookie WRs can’t be good. Look at Clayton’s rookie year! lol
Seriously though, running backs and wide recievers seem to have the biggest impact thier rookie year. More than other positions anyways.
February 25th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Yes, WR’s can come in and make an immediate impact. But, how many of the actually do? Just ask Detroit about those percentages.
February 25th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
You just have to love the stupidity of the Bucs front office & coaching Dept. And to hear people talk about drifting a receiver with all our defensive woes is hilarious. The Glazer’s should change their name to Barnum & Bailey with the Circus they have a 1 Buc Place.
February 25th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
I can see the bucs takind dez bryant with the 3rd pick and I can see the bucs trade down in the 2nd round to pick up another 3round pick and then trade a 2nd rounder for marshall and then draft tyson alualu with the 2nd 2 rounder! Then the 3 round we gotta get a D-End and a linebacker and 4th round get a RB !
February 25th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
$ 9,000,000.00
later……
BWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA
all the way to the bank
February 25th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
I will reserve judgment on the WR position until after free agency and the draft. AB was good, let’s just see how this plays out.
February 25th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Quick plug for Joe, I just realised that when I got email alerts from the Tampa papers AB I didn’t even think of clicking the links. I went straight to Joe Bucs Fan. I guess this has become my ‘go to’ site for Bucs news…
And I think they released the wrong wide out and I sure as hell hope they are planning to address this with a stable, proven WR in free agency. Otherwise they are taking a huge gamble going into the season with no proven decent receiver…
February 25th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
The Dream is looking forward to Clayton working with Freeman?
The farce is getting off to such a good start!