Expect Two New Wide Receivers
January 19th, 2010
If the Bucs don't re-sign Antonio Bryant, the wide receiver position will be terribly thin.
Take a look at the Bucs offense, and the wide receiver position is woefully thin.
Assuming the Bucs wave goodbye to Antonio Bryant, the Bucs top three wide receivers are Mr. $7.5 million per touchdown Michael Clayton, his emerging clone Maurice Stovall, and sophomore Sammie Stroughter.
Let’s just say Joe is confident this will not strike fear into the hearts of too many NFL defensive coordinators.
Raheem the Dream has even said an offseason priority of the Bucs is to surround quarterback Josh Freeman with some talent. So it’s reasonable to believe the Bucs will be shopping for a wide receiver.
Vacation Man of BSPN.com is of the same mind. He too believes the Bucs will add at least two receivers to the 2010 roster.
Eric S (Saint Petersburg)
Do you see the Bucs going after a big time receiver like A. Boldin or someone else in the trade/free agent market? If as you say they get rid of Bryant, they need someone to take his place.
Vacation Man
Not sure it will be Boldin. But they will probably get at least two WRs through free agency and the draft. They need two new starters. Bryant is gone.
Just who those receivers may be is anyone’s guess. But if the Bucs let go of Bryant, the Bucs must address this position long before training camp rolls around.
January 19th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Sounds like Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin in a trade and Jordan Shipley in the 2nd. However, I’d much rather resign Bryant instead of trading pucks away to acquire someone.
January 19th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Sounds like Brandon Marshall or Anquan Boldin in a trade and Jordan Shipley in the 2nd. However, I’d much rather resign Bryant instead of trading picks away to acquire someone.
January 19th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Oddly enough, when other news sources (for any team) refer to the best available WR’s for THEM to sign, Antonio Bryant is at or near the top of those discussions. Nobody has yet to logically and successfully explain to me why his obvious talents won’t be back.
Mouth? He’s hardly T.O. or Meshawn and has been pretty tame in that regard.
Injury concern? Sign him to an incentive contract with statistical escalators.
If he truly wants to return, sign him.
January 19th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Attention K-Mart Shoppers, Wide Recievers for sale hurry while supply lasts, the Glazers are in the building.
January 19th, 2010 at 9:48 am
I agree Jeff. The Bucs are morons if they don’t re-sign AB. Who are they going to sign that has less baggage than AB? Regarding AB’s knee, he was fine after he recovered from the surgery. Good grief, this is frustrating.
January 19th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Louie, its all about money. Thats why AB wont be back. They will replace him with a cheaper alternative. This is an uncapped year which means there is no salary floor. I guarantee you they will dump salary this year and be below this years salary floor. The “plan” coupled with an uncapped year give our glorious owners a chance to unload payroll at a time when they are drowning in debt with their other investments.
January 19th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Joe here,
Agreed, Jeff. Seems like any other team looking for a receiver has Bryant on the top of their list. …Sign the man.
January 19th, 2010 at 10:31 am
AB didn’t demand $9 million last year. He didn’t ask to be franchised. Some of you have this idea that he is demanding $9 a year in a new contract. I garrantee AB would, and will from some team, take a 3-5 year contract that pays around $5 to $6 million a year. He knows if he stays he is the #1 guy and has said he wants to resign. Letting him go would just be idiotic. Freeman just started to get some chemistry with him, and he flat out makes plays when healthy.
Resign AB
Release Clayton
Get one WR in FA
Draft a WR in the 2nd
January 19th, 2010 at 10:41 am
Also, Taylor Price is a 4th to 5th round WR that I really hope we sign. He is 6’1″ 205lbs and runs a 4.3 forty yard dash. He is physical and shows flashes of greatness. Check out his highlights and you’ll see him make some great catches and take some huge hits while holding on the the ball. He’s a strong run blocker and an all around great prospect stuck on a horrible team. I have my fingers crossed.
January 19th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Resign AB, he’s the only receiver we’ve had the past two years. He’s shown that when healthy he can actually catch. Unlike Clayton.
January 19th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Why not sign AB. Everyone is talkin about Boldin but did we forget the scene on da cardinals sideline with Q yelling at his YOUNG head coach. Do you forget him blasting the cardinals in the media and demanding a bigger contract or a trade when Fitz got his big deal. It was a circus in Zona. And lets not even start on mr im a punter Brandon Marshall yes they are great talents but my point is that there is rarely a reciever who not been a “diva” if you ask me AB’s comments were relatively tame. So why not sign a guy who on da record says he wants to be back in Tampa how many other guys do you kno that are saying that is these times?????
January 19th, 2010 at 11:25 am
JDouble Says:
“AB didn’t demand $9 million last year. He didn’t ask to be franchised…”
Here’s a quote from AB around March of last year that i pulled right off of JBF.com…
“I look at it like this: if you get a $9-million raise — did you count the taxes? Did you count the fact that Antonio Bryant just doesn’t take care of Antonio Bryant. Antonio Bryant has got kids, a mom, brothers, sisters. I’ve got people in my family lost their jobs, too. If you’re a guy in this situation and somebody says, “We’re going to give you $10-million,’ of course you’re a guy who’s going to go and think of more than just yourself. You’re going to go beyond that because you’ve got family, you’ve got other people that you’re the backbone for. That’s how I look at it, too. I’m the burden bearer in my family. When things happen, when a crisis happens, they come to me. I’m sure a lot of guys in this locker room understand the situation.”
You’re right he didn’t ask for $9 million he was asking for more.
January 19th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
He wasn’t asking for more. $9 million is what they paid him because of the franchise tag rules and the lack of an agreement on the long term deal. The long term deal would have been less than $9 million a year.
January 19th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
D-Money:
How the hell do you get “he was asking for more” out of that paragraph? Reading comprehension for the win buddy.
January 19th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
All I know for sure is I hope Golden Tate somehow slips to the 2nd round and we draft him. He reminds me of a slightll larger Steve Smith. I think of all the WRs in this draft, Tate ends up having the best NFL career.
January 19th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
JDouble Says:
January 19th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
“D-Money:
How the hell do you get “he was asking for more” out of that paragraph? Reading comprehension for the win buddy.”
Ok so what exactly do you think he was getting at? He sure as hell doesn’t sound like a guy who was happy with his new contract. Maybe you just started following the Bucs but he made no bones about the fact that he wasn’t happy with not being given a bigger longer contract last off season.
All this from a guy who was out of the league the year before and had one good season mostly because he was the only half way decent receiver Garcia could throw to.
Go back and check the acrchives on this very site to get yourself up to speed on the subect and then come back. I’ll wait.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Yes! I am finally famous. Hehe. I would go for Boldin. Very solid receiver. Not a burner, but does the other things well. I wouldn’t really call him a troublemaker. Yes, he did have that incident with Haley (the OC not the HC by the way), but it seems like quite a few people have had “incidents” with Haley over the years. I like that he came back quickly after that vicious hit he took last year. The guy is tough.
But it does seem like Pat is convinced that AB is gone. Since he is around the team a lot more than us, I would tend to believe him. But you never know. And AB did sulk for the whole season about being franchised. For crying out loud you are getting 9 mil, suck it up. I do think he is going to get a very good contract from someone starving for receivers. Could be even from the team down south.
I just know that they have to do something.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Eric S:
Good job. Joe too likes Boldin but he’s been dinged up a lot the past couple of years. In other words, buyer beware. He may have already peaked.
Very possible Boldin is damaged goods. If he, or any NFL player, cannot answer the bell, what good is he?
January 19th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Not made this secret and I will continue and I’m sure I will take my lumps. AB is not the guy for Freeman. He is a guy that makes his living by making catches in close quarters using his body to shield the defender and his hands to make the catch…a very good trait with a QB that is accurate enough to throw to the correct shoulder based on the db position. AB is not going to create separation and he doesn’t always stick with the QB when the play breaks down which is when Freeman is at his best. AB is always in Freeman’s ear telling the kid he’s open and asking him to let him make a play and therefore, most of Freeman’s INT’s come when throwing to AB. Also, AB did some complaining in the games we one because the plays were going towards Winslow.
AB will be a better player on another roster and BTW guys signing AB to a 3-5 year deal only makes sense if he doesn’t want a pile of upfront money and we can cut him. I would imagine he will want the upfront money and D-Money is correct. He complained about his 9 mil deal.
He’s not the best fit but sign him only if it is a deal to us, DO NOT pay him premium money. Boldin…um no thank you there either. Give me a new WR coach and draft a couple of young guys to develop with Freeman.
January 19th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Yeah Boldin has been nicked up over the years. He still produces when he’s in there. If not Boldin, there isn’t many top flight WRs that will be available in free agency/trades. B. Marshall would be a big headache. I don’t see him coming her. No to T. Owens. V. Jackson should be back in SD. I can’t think of any others that might worth a look.
So it will be interesting to see what TB does. If AB goes, I do believe the Bucs need a good veteran WR. Maybe there is a up and coming WR out there ready to bolt to us like Wes Welker did with NE. I guess we will find out in a little over a month what happens with the cap. Then it will become clearer.