Though Frustrating, Try To Be Patient Bucs Fans
March 8th, 2010
Joe didn’t need to read the comments on this site in recent days to know fans are outraged.
Joe saw the numbers on his meter. Joe isn’t sure he’s had a better week than last week for traffic.
Joe is humbled and thanks you all.
Usually when there’s consistently high traffic, it means either SI.com has picked up on a post dealing with the lovely Bucs cheerleader Jaime Hanna and her trysts with Rays slugger Evan Longoria, or Bucs fans are hacked off about something.
Best as Joe can tell, he hasn’t posted anything about Hanna in months. So that left the options rather slim.
Joe understands the frustration. But Peter King of Sports Illustrated suggests the anger is misplaced. He did some number crunching over the weekend and found the opening days of free agency are, well, overblown.
One more point about the value of splurging: In 2008, as a precursor to their Super Bowl seasons, Arizona and Pittsburgh signed no one from other teams in the first two days of free agency. In 2009, as a precursor to their Super Bowl seasons, New Orleans and Indianapolis signed no one from other teams in the first two days of free agency.
That’s the thing about free agency: We celebrate it like it’s a huge event, like if you get nothing done the opening 72 hours, your season’s down the drain. Bills fans harmed themselves over the weekend. Bucs fan are mutinous. On Sunday afternoon, Washington GM Bruce Allen put free agency in perspective quite well, saying, “Free agency isn’t a day, and it’s not a weekend. We think free agency runs ’til the first day of training camp. Let’s see who you have a couple of months from now, not just who you have after a couple of days. What difference does it make when you sign them, if they help you?”
King also documented the top eight paid wide receivers last year, which (former) Bucs receiver Antonio Bryant topped. None made the Pro Bowl.
Also over the weekend, Joe received a text from a trusted source with knowledge of the inner workings of the Bucs front office. The source said with good authority that this draft is so loaded, in the years to come Bucs fans will have smiles on their faces.
Joe trusts this is accurate.
Joe also admits, while it may frustrating right now looking at what the Bucs are passing off as wide receivers, there’s a lot of time between now and July.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Joe, You can shove patience up your patootie. Apparently you have what I call “small market disease.” That is, when a member of the media in a small market yawns…and thinks mediocrity is ok. Guess what pal? It aint. As THE DONALD says, it is not whether you win or lose, but whether you win.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
The big benefit of free agency is that you can sign one competent player at a spot that you then no longer have to address in the draft.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Mike:
You mean like when Trump went from being a billionaire to being a multimillionaire? 🙂
March 8th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
We can’t get experienced WR’s in the draft. So whom we draft, talented or not, will be mentored by Stovall and Clayton. Maybe we should move Clayton to safety?
March 8th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Hey Joe,
Whats the word on Anotnio Bryant? Everyone was so hacked off that they let him go but I don’t see too many other teams going after him.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
bucfanjeff:
LOL that’s actually an interesting thought. Won’t have to worrry about him dropping passes on defense and, theoretically, if a guy can throw his body around blocking, he should also be able to tackle. Couldn’t any worse than Sabby the Goat.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
d-money:
Joe suspects teams (currently) are scared off by the baggage, including his hobbled knee.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
It is way early.
We can get all puffed up after the super duper draft and a couple of has-been free agents are signed.
The real gagging doesn’t start until September and you can’t get blown out in March…………..
March 8th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Free agency is indeed a long journey until training camp, but Mark D. makes it sound like the Bucs won’t even get out of the house for this trip. So I don’t expect this to change in the next couple of months. The Bucs probably will sign some very low value free agents and that’s about it.
It is nice that King points out that the Saints didn’t do anything the first few days of free agency last season. They did however get busy after that by signing Darren Sharper and Jabari Greer and re-signing Jonathan Vilma and Jon Stinchcomb. I believe the Colts signed 2 of their starters on the DL from free agency. So free agency can fill big needs and should not be avoided just because of past mistakes.
March 8th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
JOE? I don’t if you could forward this to the higher up’s in the buc’s organization. But here is my dilemma I work for one of the most recognized trade mark in the world and if we as a company put a product in the market that was crap, we would not be in business. Well it’s the same thing with the buc’s. This is disgusting to watch this, it’s like getting kicked in the BALL’S. The Buc’s are being destroyed. No moves in free agency
Marshall, Owens and Rolle. Nothing and theY let Will Allen go. Rhonde is on his last leg. We have no” D” line no wide outs. This is going to be like watching a college team get beat up by the Patriots.
I am so pissed it is like we have thrown in the towel I feel bad for Josh Freeman. He looked like he could have been a good quaterback but who is he going to throw to. I see two people he could throw two Winslow and Sammie the rest garbage.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE…PLEASE DO SOMETHING.
OH nad the Glazers should sell the team.
March 8th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Marc:
Please e-mail Joe.
joe@joebucsfan.com
March 8th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I read in an article a few weeks ago about the NFL collective bargaining agreement potential consequences of an uncapped year. So far it was right about the RFAs, the few UFA’s and the smale market teams not going after players.
What it also pointed out was that many of the RFA’s won’t sign the tenders and thereby skip out on OTA’s and even a portion of training camp as to force the hand of the team to re-sign them.
Additionally, the top 7 draft picks will be offered low ball offers by the teams who drafted them, and the rookies will also hold out as long as they have to, even leading up to the mid-season deadline (or when ever that deadline is, wekk 6?).
So there is pressure that these players can put on the team’s… and considering the potential lockout in 2011, it may get REAL UGLY.
So things just might get worse.
Also, think about the Bucs… could it be possible that we won’t and can’t sign a lot of our own RFA’s and even the 1st round draft pick in time to even help 2010 or 2011, the lockout year?
March 8th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
c mon joe: nobody is suggesting that this org spend like drunken sailors. A. Boldin was traded for moderate value and signed for Clayton-like money.
none of those teams were 3-13 the prior year and with so much room under the old cap and even the old floor due to falsified contracts like the Noah Herron fraudulent incentive laden contract.
the draft may be deep and free agency is not a science, but neither is the draft. Mark Dominik was part of the team drafting in the first 4 rounds: D. Jackson, Gaines Adams RIP (4 overall), Sabby (2nd round), Alan Zemaitis, Mike Clayton, Kenyatta Walker, and so on.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
How long should Buc fans sit back and be patient? This is such a joke I think instead of us all crying about it we start to boycott these garbage ass owners. We boycott they sell and we get someone in here who wants to put a winner on the field. START THE BOYCOTT! I will not go to another game until they prove they wanna win!
March 8th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
jaycorr:
Joe has long believed that a major factor for the lack of spending, aside from the obvious (lack of income) is the elephant in the room: the looming labor stoppage.
Once the new CBA with the NFLPA is agreed upon, Joe believes things will change. I can’t blame an NFL owner from wanting to shell out a lot of cash for a guy (especially a guy in his 30s) if there won’t be a season in 2011.
March 8th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
The whole thing puzzles me. These Glazers may not be of sound mind Football wise, but financially they really are geniuses. They bought the Bucs for 192 Mil, and thay have to be worth 4X that now. In the case of Manu, it was 700 mil, and they have groups over in Engalnd wanting to buy them out for 1.2 Billion. They wont even entertain offers.
If my math is right, even conservatively speaking thats a BILLION in equity between the two. Plus they are paying themselves massive sums of money to operate the soccer team, and the bucs also i bet.
Surely these NFL hotshots don’t actually believe that in these economic times folks are gonna put up with a lock-out?
March 8th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
We aren’t panicing because the Bucs didn’t sign anyone in the 1st 72 hours.
We are panicing because our idiot GM Dumninik admits, “we aren’t gonna” sign anyone at all !!!
It’s time to hit the panic button !!
March 8th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
“Though Frustrating, Try To Be Patient Bucs Fans”
This clueless GM and horrible coach are ruining themselves as well and their futures with the Bucs are getting more grim with each day that passes!!!
March 9th, 2010 at 12:31 am
Relax guys, Dumbass is just waiting to see who the Raiders get rid of, and whom he can pick off their practice roster, THEN he’ll make the moves we’ve been waiting for!