Cheaper For Bucs To Sign Donald Penn
June 26th, 2010
Yeah, yeah, yeah. If Joe has heard it once he has heard 10,000 times:
Team Glazer is cheap.
Why, to hear some folks scream about Team Glazer and their debt on their English kickball team, if Joe didn’t know any better, Team Glazer was panhandling outside the CITS last weekend during fanfest.
With starting left tackle Donald Penn likely to sit out training camp in a contract dispute, this only fans the flames of those who believe Team Glazer won’t open up the wallet.
Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune has an interesting take on the Donald Penn mess. He believes it would be cheaper for Team Glazer to actually sign Penn and cave to his demands.
Penn can miss training camp without penalty, sign no later than 4:00 p.m. on Sept. 11, a day before the season opener, and still receive his entire 2010 salary. He likely would be limited for a few weeks until he was in playing shape, leaving [Demar] Dotson as Tampa Bay’s primary left tackle.
If Tampa Bay drafts a left tackle high next year, that player’s salary could potentially be more than giving Penn another contract. Even if the NFL invokes a rookie salary scale, the Bucs could dish out a huge amount for an unproven left tackle who may not be ready to protect Freeman.
If this is accurate, and Joe has no reason to suggest Richardson isn’t accurate, this leads Joe to believe that perhaps the Bucs may have something on Penn other than his late-season diet.
June 26th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Donald Penn article #118. Woooooo . . . . . hooooooooo . . . ugh.
June 26th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
This morning Donald Penn had Cornflakes . . . He normally has oatmeal. What does it mean?
June 26th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Sign him!! This is gonna do nothing but hurt us for next year. Donald Penn will have the last laugh when he sees Freeman getting dropped 1 million times and our team going 3-13 again.
Maybe they can draft a left tackle high next year?? No. Sorry, but I’m tired of that attitude of “we can just get someone from the draft.” We already have a proven, solid LT on our team that we just need to lock up NOW. Be done with it. I don’t get it. They’ll risk 40 million or so dollars to a high unproven draft choice but they won’t give a MUCH CHEAPER contract to a proven guy at the position??
Plus, Josh Freeman is gonna be in his 3rd season already !! 3rd! Being that far into his career, he doesn’t need an unproven LT protecting him. Also during his 3rd season, we’ll should be able to know how good Freeman really is.
Donald Penn is the best option this team has. He loves playing in Tampa, loves the fans, and he cares about the team. Losing 40 pounds is hard work, and that shows he wants to get back to where he supposed to be. Dominik needs to have faith in Penn just like he had faith in Can’t catch Clayton.
June 26th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Ohhhhhh .. . the pain
June 26th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Gaining 40 lbs. in a matter of months without a medical condition is called eating disorder.
June 26th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
patrick, losing 30 or 40 pounds isn’t that hard when you’re 370 pounds to begin with. donald put himself in this position by foolishly not watching what he ate in a contract year. that shows terrible discipline for a guy that had everything on the line.
June 26th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
JimBuc:
What’s your problem? Joe believes Anwar Richardson to have a very salient point. Or did you even read the article?
Sorry, but Donald Penn not being signed is a significant issue. Don’t want to read about Penn, then stick your head back in the sand.
June 26th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Of course, the most expensive contracts are rookie contracts, although I’m sure that’s gonna be adressed in the new CBA. That’s also why so many underclass came out this year, ta cash in before they set a rookie pay scale.
So, when the Glazers were saying the wanted good young players, they know that cost more. Just wait to you see what they shell out for McCoy and Price. If the Glazers wanted to save money, they had the best guy in the NFL for that!! Gruden hates young players, and won’t play them. That’s how our payroll got so low
June 26th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Joe, is Penn going to sit out the season and give up a year of credit toward free agency?
There — no more reason to discuss Donald Penn.
June 26th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
JimBuc:
Joe has no more idea than you do.
Unless of course you are an intimate of Donald Penn’s.
June 26th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Joe, is the sun going to rise in the east tomorrow? Neither you nor I can say that for sure because it has not happened yet, but. . . Penn’s best option to get his big payday is to play and play well. If he sits out he just goes further back. That would not make sense. Much ado about NADA.
One good thing that did come from this article, however, is the comment by Capt. Tim. The premise for Richardson article is that the Bucs would save money by signing Penn now. As Capt Tim points out, not necessarily if the new CBA includes a rookie pay scale. Good point, Captain.
June 26th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
When will this “saga” Ever be over? Yeah i hear as soon as the Ink is dry on the contract, but for the life of me i cant understand how it makes any difference. Penn is not here, has not been here, was a late show last year, gained 40 pounds when he was here last season!
Penn is a good LT and i agree we would be “cheaper” to sign him now, but we all find this a little bit annoying. How annoying is it for Penn? Dotson? Coach Morris? GM Dominick? or us the fan? Penn said it best if the CBA was in place there is no problem. He wants to be a Buccaneer!
I am happy Penn has seen the error of his ways in that not being in his best shape WILL put him 6′ under at a young age. I would like to see him play at around 315-325 pounds.(for us) And for anyone who thinks it is “easy” to drop 40 pounds, try dropping 10 pounds from your own body, and get back to me on that one. I went from 285 to 190 in 35 days. (divorce stress) Huge fortunes have been made “helping” people loose weight. Jenny Craig anyone? Nutrisystem anyone? Weight Watchers?
Lets get this over with already, but we can’t due to a platter full of Ribs, i’m sorry of reasons. CBA, Weight & Strength issues, FA , RFA, Contract, the smörgåsbord goes on and on.
How much longer till Training Camp? UGHHHH!!!
June 26th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Can’t disagree more.
Maybe you should e-mail Mark Dominik and Raheem the Dream to inform them they have nothing to worry about and they can rest comfortably. Might also want to e-mail Demar Dotson and let him know he has nothing to fear: He will not start.
I’m sure Raheem the Dream would like to know he’s wasting his time preparing Dotson to start.
June 26th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
People do not act against their own self interest. You do not have to be Penn or Morris or Dom to know the likely outcome because the likely outcome is determined by the circumstances. The circumstances are such that Penn will play (and Dom knows that).
June 26th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Sooo, wonder what the issue with Penn really is?
Seems like something has a bug up their butts!
June 26th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Seems to me that everyone is worried about what “spit” is going in Penn’s mouth, when Penn is worried about what lying “spit” is coming out of the GM’s mouth. If this team had it’s “spit” together we would never had this pile of “spit” problem to begin with!
June 26th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
you guys that are against Penn. Fine be that way. Let’s see how we all like it when the team has a 4-12 season.
June 26th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Whether you are for or against Penn, he plays this season
June 26th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Bored, so here’s something else to think about with Penn and whether or not he will play. There were about 15 RFAs that did not sign their tenders, just like Penn. In almost every instance — except Penn and the Bucs — the team either moved to sign someone as a potential replacement or the player requested a trade or both. NONE OF THAT HAS HAPPENED HERE. By contrast, Penn just said he did not want to miss training camp and he said that the CBA was to blame for his situation (not the Bucs). He has not demanded a trade. Same with the Bucs. They have not moved to replace Penn and Dom has said he has been in regular contact with Penn.
So, no one can say for sure BUT . . .
June 26th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
i agree jimbuc he will play this year no matter what but if we do not sign him now, we will hve no chance in hell at him the following year.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Because it is most likely that Penn plays does not mean that this is not a distraction and detrimental, especially if it lingers through training camp.
But, I will agree we are going to suck with or without Penn. Opposing teams will simply shut down our running game, and we have no answer.
Could have had a great answer, but the budget is too tight.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Why would anyone be against Penn? That makes no sense. All Buc Fans at the very least respect Penn and the job he’s done. Not everyone agrees about his new contract or lack there of, but I don’t think anyone doesn’t want him here. Penn’s a good man at 370 or 340. The Bucs need Penn this season, even if Dotson can do the job. They still need Penn. If you base Penn’s salary on that of other Buc players in key positions, then he is underpaid for the job he has done. It’s hard to dispute that unless one hasn’t watched the competition Penn has faced. Leftwich got paid $5 mil to basically do nothing but hide and then watch. Clayton, Crowell, Ward all got paid well to under perform. I can not think of world where Penn is worth less than about $6Mil per season. Dominick says the ball is in Penn’s court because of weight, but we all know the ball is in Dom’s court. Something in this whole saga doesn’t make sense. It’s like Steve White says about someone won’t release the funds. It all seems as if Dominick’s hands are tied by someone up the food chain. I didn’t think so before, but I am beginning to think now it is the Glazer’s calling this shot. Money is an issue, because nothing else truly makes sense, and the weight comment is a cop-out. We’ll see how it plays out.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Eric — you must represent BM. I have never seen someone cry so much about a single player. Man, get a hold of yourself.
Jarret — you may be right about that, but I guess that depends on how it all works out.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
BigMacAttack — I am a fan of Penn, but if you compare him to other LTs he has not actually been underpaid. I hope it all works out.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
If we sign Penn before the season starts will they be able to slap him with the franchise tag next year?
June 26th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
I do like Penn and think he is good, but not great. He’s a very good pass blocker, but his run blocking skills are weak. I saw him really dogging it on many run plays last year. I would like for Joe to go and look at the tape. I think people have put him on too high of a pedastal right now, and I’m guessing the buc brass agree with me. He’s good, but needs to improve still. I do agree that he has a lot of leverage because without him, we are in big trouble due to our depth issues at that spot.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:33 pm
JimBuc, really? Penn is probably the 10’th best LT in the league, and arguably higher, about 6 or 7. There are new younger LT’s all 1’st round picks who may be better in time, but Penn is battle tested and has won 90% of his battles against the Absolute Best (bar none) DE’s in the league. No one has a better Game day resume than Penn does over the last 3 years. I doubt you can find 1 or 2 LT’s who have faced more elite DE’s with the same or better esults than Penn during his tenure. Julius Peppers made $16Mil in one season. A guy that can stop him has to be worth $6Mill. You are sadly mistaken if you think $3Mill is the appropriate commensurate pay for Penn’s performance in League Terms. Not even close. JimBuc, your just so flat out dead wrong, it’s a joke.
I do wish Penn would shave his Tali-Beard. That’s worth a $100K alone.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
Penn’s run blocking wasn’t as good last year but none of the Oline players were run blocking well until the last quarter of the season. The zone blocking experiment was a huge setback. I think this year will be much better, but the Bucs need Penn this season. After that they can do what they want, but the guy is good in pass protection and light on his feet, even at 370 lbs.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:52 pm
BMA — Three things. First, have to compare him only to LTs not Julius Peppers because that comparison is one of positions not players. Second, I am not taling about going forward. Going forward, every RFA is underpaid. That’s the point. Even with that, not sure that most rank him as highly as you do.
Third, and this is what I was referring to, compare him to San Diego LT McNeil. McNeil has made about the same as Penn during same timeframe but McNeil had 2 Pro Bowls. Obviously, McNeil’s tender is the same as Penns so same money for this year. Both argue they are underpaid going forward, but Penn was arguably overpaid, at least compared to McNeil.
June 26th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
BMA — I know you probably disagree with this, but I don’t think (and more importantly Penn does not seem to think) this is as much a dispute over how much Penn is worth as it is about the Bucs not wanting to give a big contract to a player given that there is no CBA going forward. That is why I mentioned above that there has been no trade demand and the Bucs have not yet moved to replace him. I take that as a signal that absent the CBA issues the two would not be too far apart. Remember that Penn was discovered by Dom.
June 26th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
@JimBuc: “Much ado about NADA”. If you really feel that way, how come you’ve made 12 (and counting) comments on this?
June 26th, 2010 at 11:07 pm
JimBuc, Jared Gaither is another LT that has two Pro Bowls, is an RFA this year and signed his tender at $2.4M. If Penn is “underpaid”, then McNeill and Gaither are getting robbed.
June 26th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Louie — because I am bored. Besides, what in the world does the volume of my commentary have to do with whether Penn’s situation is “much ado about NADA?” If you disagree, don’t focus on me, focus on the facts. My 12 (and counting) comments lay out a lot of facts (CBA, Penn’s own statments, no trade demand, no replacement player, MCNeil’s salary), your response offers none, right?
Man . . .
June 26th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Right BamBam. Many seem to ignore that actual facts. Not sure I understand that. (Louie — my apologies that I am now posting #14)
June 27th, 2010 at 12:41 am
JimBuc:
You mean the nasty little fact Donald Penn isn’t signed?
Or the ugly fact that Mark Dominik had to create a ruse, using all the fourth estate in this town, in an unethical stunt to try to force Penn to sign?
Or maybe the ugly looming fact that Penn is threatening to sit out training camp and perhaps beyond?
Oh, not a story. Next…
June 27th, 2010 at 4:48 am
I agree 100% with Patrick and BigMacAttack. If Penn doesn’t play this year, it could be devastating to this team this year and the future. The last thing you want is a young QB scared for his life, because he will start getting rid of the football too early and stop stepping into his throws. That can mess with his psyche for years to come. Think of all the first round bust QB’s and the majority had no protection in their early years. Not to mention the fact that there’s a much better chance he will get hurt. I trust that we will win many more games with Freeman versus Johnson (or any other QB on our roster). I’m sure there’s probably more to it than what any of us know, but I really don’t care – sign the man!
June 27th, 2010 at 8:15 am
Not a story? Hmm, seems pretty relevant to me!
But here’s the sad truth. Not much going on right now, and I am DESPERATE for Buc news. I think Joe works his ASS off to keep relevant stories flowing, so we can talk football, and I love him for it. I Jeremy Trueblood is taking ballet lessons to improve his footwork, I wanna know! And I want to argue with LightningBuc about it! Is it gonna help? Is itvavsign of a lifestyle change? Is it because the Glazers are to cheap to hire a ballet teacher? Is Penn gonna sign up too? Or is he to fat for Ballet? I don’t care! I wanna talk buc football until the season starts! So EVERYTHING is relevant as he’ll. Cause I’m a Bucs Fan! Keep it coming, Joe , I’m on it!!
June 27th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Joe — Penn is not signed. Check. That is why we are on Penn story #118. Does not change FACT that he loses year if he does not eventually sign, right? Of the 118 Penn stories, is there one that discusses this fact? Lots about what happens to the Bucs but what about Penn?
June 27th, 2010 at 8:21 am
jimbuc he will be gone if we do not sign him this year. First he will be pissed about the being called fat, being lied to, and given the contract run-around. Second we will not win any bidding wars for him.I have said this once and i will say it again, if the entire bucs roster were free agents today, donald penn would get the biggest contract of anyone on our team. He would also generate the most interest. THere is no way he makes less than 8-10 million if he is allowed to test free agency. HE will be a cowboy
June 27th, 2010 at 8:31 am
I watched Dotson last year, he played on the right side, and actually looked good! I thought he might give Trueblood a run for his money this year. Really surprised that he has the footspeed to work the left side. Not many men that size can play against speed rushers. If Dotson can do that, we REALLY found a gem! Now, that being said, we are in trouble without Penn.1) if Dotson is the future, he needs to gradually move into the LT spot, sharing time with Penn.2) if Dotson can really play and start( lotta ifs), Who is his backup? Xavier Fulton? Derek Hardman? James Williams? 3 young guys with talent, but never played an NFL down. That’s a scary proposition for Josh ” Neo” Freeman. Vinny Testaverde ran for his life his first years, and it set his technique and confidence back years!! Need ta sign Penn now
June 27th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Good morning Jarret and JimBuc,
Ok, if Penn sits out this year, he loses a years pay(expensive). He also faces the prosect of not playing most, if not all, of next year( really expensive now!!). At that point, he is a free agent, but hasn’t played in two years
The NFL has a short memory, that hurts his value,as his skills have deteriorated.mire importantly, he’s missed two years in the prime of his career. You don’t get those back. Don’t think he can afford that. Buuut, from the Bucs point of view.Penn sits out training camp, why not, you can’t fine him!. He signs his tender right as the season starts. Is he in shape? Probably not game shape, so you lose time getting him ready. Hecstarts, but hasn’t practiced with the line. Their timing is off. That’s gonna set the line back, despite all their off season training together. Bad line play = bad Qb play! And there is the problem! The Bucs have bet their whole basket of Eggs on Freeman. And that looks like a good decision, unless he isn’t able to perform this year, cause he’s laying on his back every play. Then the wheels fall of the whole “rebuilding”wagon. Can the BuCs risk THAT?? It’s a poker hand right now, who’s willing to risk the most, cause they both have a lot to lose. The fact that the Bucs are willing to pay, tells me 1) there are other concerns about Penn or 2) they really think Dotson can do it. We will know soon, cause it definately is gonna impact this season
June 27th, 2010 at 8:54 am
jarrett — you could be right, but I think players generally go whereve the most money is. The advantage the Bucs would have would be that he is on the team, meaning they could sign him beforfe he go to free agency. But who knows.
June 27th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Capt. Tim — good points. In my experience when both sides have something to lose a deal is reached. Could be wrong.
June 27th, 2010 at 9:46 am
Here’s the truth. Penn is in an impossible situation. The Bucs have all the leverage.
And here’s why…
Let’s start with Penn doesn’t sign. He holds out the entire year. He never gets the games in this year to become “unrestricted” next year and is still a RFA for the Bucs. Still has to deal with tender offers which require compensation and has lost one year (and that’s assuming there’s a CBA and no lockout forcing him to lose 2 years)
Now, if Penn signs and plays at least 6 games this year, he can become an unrestricted free agent next year. However, the Bucs would have the “Franchise Tag” available to use on any one UFA player on their team. If they chose to use it, they would have to pay Penn (another) one year contract, this one in the range of about $8.5 to $9M, but still a one year deal. He wouldn’t be able to sign a long term deal with another team.
So, if he doesn’t sign, he won’t be unrestricted next year… if he does sign, he’s a target for the franchise tag. He wants a long term deal, and the team doesn’t have to give him one for two more years no matter what he does. He may have to play in a “contract” year for 3 consecutive years or sit out potentially 2 years (at which time his value will drop).
Best case scenario for Penn, sign the tender, play hard and stay in shape and get the long term deal done before free agency begins next year rather than be forced into a franchise tag.
June 27th, 2010 at 10:01 am
BamBam — exactly. Incredibly, everyone seems to ignore those facts
June 27th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Man; I have to agree with BamBam. Penn is in a much worse situation then the Bucs are. Since the Bucs are only expected to win 5 or 6 games as it is; how many more will they win with Penn in there? Holding out is career suicide! Penn is a good LT that hopes to be great some day. Not there yet though! Super star players can mess around with the system and probably come out shining, but good players with potential to be great don’t make out as well. The Glaziers and Dominik are not about to rock the NFL boat. Whatever is going on with other teams and players is what will happen here in Tampa. This is the good ole boy network and very few owners will go against the contract system that is in place. The best move for Penn is to come in and play his A$$ off then he can control his own future whether it is with the Bucs or not. All the while collecting a cool 4 Million dollars!
June 27th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Bambam,
Really nice work. And absolutely correct. Despite that, I’d like ta see them sign him, for Freeman’s sake. Buy, been saying for a month, they aren’t going to
June 27th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
I don’t think anyone has hit on the consequences of Penn sitting out until Sept 11th. Anwar said it would be a “few weeks” before he would be game ready, agreed? Alot of people believe those first 3 games are winable. Without Penn, those games are far more likely to be loses.
So, if the Bucs don’t care about winning those first 3 games, then sure Penn has little leverage. However, if they really want a chance at winning any of those games, they desperately need him.
June 27th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Per Steve White:
“And he was not just a guy out there for us. On an offensive line that everyone seems to say underachieved he was the bell cow. Sunday after Sunday he faced teams best pass rusher and more than held his own. As a matter of fact in many games he was dominant. And lets look at some of the guys he faced last year. Demarcus Ware, Osi Umenyiora, Andre Carter, Julius Peppers, Trent Cole, Clay Matthews, Will Smith and John Abraham.”
Now what is the average salary of the above DE’s? The reason I ask and mention for Futbol fans like JimBuc that are still learning about Football, is that the LT is who defends these players. If a DE is making $7Mil per season it is reasonable to think a LT who can adequately defend this DE should make about the same money.
JimBuc it seems that you like to argue just for the sake of arguing. Your credibility of comments on this site has dropped from decent when talking about futbol to ZERO when you talk about the Bucs. You might want to find an English Pub where your like in kind might be impressed with your CBA, Flim Flam, Post Mortem Football Commentary.
No one here is buying it. Now you’ve even gone and pissed Joe off. You have a way about you that get’s under people’s skin and I have to give you credit for that. If Joe wanted to start a new Weekly column in the likeness of “The Pessimist of The Optimist” he could call it “The Knowitall” and JimBuc, you could write it.
I’m not saying that Donald Penn is going about this the right way, or that I agree with what he is doing, but I am saying “The Bucs need his BIG A$$ badly and he is worth much more than he is getting paid at this point in time”. If the tender offer Dominick made him would have worked like it did on Ruud, I’d say more power to Dom, but so faar it isn’t working. Knock Knock, Hello. Now what? Time for Plan B, don’t cha think?
June 27th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
I also agree Penn is in an impossible situation based on a lockout, but if he is stubborn and sits out the season, what does that do for the Bucs? I don’t see how it helps the Bucs, Freeman, or moral for the whole team. The Bucs are in the same impossible situation.
Impenetrable force meets up with an immovable object.
June 27th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
BMA — I understand the value of an LT. I was just saying that if the question is whether Penn was underpaid, you have to compare him to other LTs only or else you are making a braider argument that LTs in general are underpaid as a position. Seemed simple enough to me? You realize there are more decorated and accomplished LTs making less than Penn, right?????
It is not time for Plan B. So funny. You take a shot at me for not understanding football, and then in two consecutive posts you say, first, that the Bucs sould go on to plan B and, second, that “Penn is in an impossible situation.” LMAO. I gues you don’t see the contradiction. 🙂
Bam Bam laid it out clearly so I will not repeat it other than to say that Penn will not give up $3 million dollars this year AND lose a year of free agency.
June 27th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Wow, BigMac, and I thought I was harsh on jimmybuc, geez!
June 27th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
^^^^^^ 🙂
June 27th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
JimBuc, I said they are both in the same impossible situation.
Let me give you a quick Reading Lesson. Y-O-U A-R-E A-N I-D-I-O-T. Hows that? Name calling 101.
I guess The Queen’s English and American English are two different things.
I thought I made my point pretty clear. If you have trouble reading (again as usual) and that must be your problem. Too many headers with the kick ball. Rattled the bolts loose.
It’s not time for Plan B, you say. So how’s Plan A working out so far? About as well as Oblowme’s Change. Not worth a $hit.
JimBuc, really, can’t you make a valid point about anything? Please provide some substance or insight for once. Just one sentence that makes sense. You write pages and pages of nonsense. Please give me something. Don’t tell me that’s all you have. Your best bet is to just shut up and stay home. There’s another futbol game on at 2:30PM. Stick to what you know. Nada.
June 27th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
BMA — you are too funny. The Bucs do not have to do anything because, as you noted yourself, Penn is in an “impossible situation.” Why would a team negotiate against themselves? If they do nothing, he plays. Love that you continue to to call me an idiot. Ironic.
June 27th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
BMA — Before you get angry, let’s just make a gentleman’s wager. How about this: if Penn sits out this year, I will never be seen on JBF again. How does that sound? Now, what do you propose to offer is he DOES play this year?
June 27th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Joe here,
No, JimBuc. Don’t go. You’re priceless, man. You help all these commenters be their best self.
June 27th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Do you want to take my bet Joe? Penn sits out, I leave. What do you want to offer if he plays? (Just trying to thelp you be your best self). Cold Caybrew perhaps?
June 27th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Let’s see… the Bucs give up 3 games to begin the season (and it’s not a given that the games are lost, you know “Any given Sunday”) or Penn gives up 1, if not 2, years in the prime of his career. The Bucs bring in a vet or see their young players play, Penn remains ineligible for unrestricted free agency and loses value and interest with the Bucs and other teams. The Bucs spend the same or less on the vet or young guys, Penn earns nothing for at least a year, maybe two.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy to play those first few games without your starting left tackle, but that seems the only downside. If they’re pretty sure he won’t sign (or won’t sign until just before the season) they’ll either bring in a vet or go with who they have depending on progress at that point. Seems the Bucs are in a tough spot…. Penn is in an impossible spot.
I mean, what’s Penn really gonna do? Say “I’ll show them”, sign and come in and gain 40 pounds and not work hard? He’d be killing his chances of being picked up next year by anyone for a decent contract. If he pushes it too far, the team will simply sit him on the bench, take their chances, and Penn will have other teams wondering next year if he’s worth the risk.
I’d rather see guys come in wanting to work hard, put in the effort, and when they become unrestricted take advantage of it. Penn is not there yet. He is still at the restricted stage. One more year, Big Guy, then you can have your payday. It’s just the way your union made the deal with the league. Not your fault, not the teams fault. Deal with it for now, get paid later.
June 27th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Cpt Twinkle Toes,
You seem to know an awful lot about ballet! Maybe you could volunteer your services to the Bucs. Rah would tell you to “take off your underwear and put on your ballet slippers.”
June 27th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
I’m not going to go back and re-read all the comments, so forgive me if I’m wrong. I don’t recall ANYBODY say Penn would sit out the season. Worse case, he would play come back for the last 6 games of the season, but I doubt he’ll want to lose that much salary. I’m betting he comes back sometime the week before the season starts or by the buy week at the latest. Of course, the Bucs could give Penn the contract he wants before training camp and he’d be there. It’s all up to the Bucs at this point just how much they want to win.
June 27th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
@BamBam, the Bucs don’t bring in veterans — its not part of “the plan”, right?
June 27th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
You left out an option JimBuc. What if Dominick gives Penn a new deal or some type of bonus to ease his pain? I don’t want you to leave because I don’t have anything against you personally. I just want to see you pull your head out of your A$$. I want the best for the team, which is to have Penn on the field however they can get him there. If he’s happy that’s even better. I don’t care so much about being RIGHT like you do, I care more about winning.
June 27th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Damn JimBuc shut the hell up for once in your life.
Joe, when are you gonna ban this fool? He seems to be nothing more than a troll.
On a similar note, how about an update to the replies format? Can you upgrade to a format that blocks loser I mean users like JimBuc? That would cut down on half the posts at least.
Maybe even a rating system that would rate him down to minimize his trolling comments.
June 27th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
@ Louie
The Bucs do bring in veterans. Winslow was brought in last year as well as Ward. Reggie Brown and Sean Jones this year. There is no reason they couldn’t look at an older veteran OT like Flozell Adams and offer him a $3M contract to play for one year. That doesn’t affect the plan as it’s obviously a stop-gap measure to fill a need for one year until they can get a more permanent solution. Don’t take the “plan” so literally. It’s an “idea” more than a plan. Build through the draft, get younger, stronger, faster players. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have brought in the veterans they did.
June 27th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Yes, it’s true. Penn could just hold out until the week before the season, then sign for a full contract and play. He’d probably sit out the first two to three weeks until he was ready to play.
If he chooses that option, he’d be well behind the other players in terms of readiness and it would affect his play when he gets in. In a contract year, the last thing you want to do is skip the “easier” games and be less effective for the more difficult games. That tends to really hurt your stock in free agency the following year.
June 27th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
@BamBam: So, your plan is to sign Flozell or some other veteran for $3M. What happens when Penn signs his $3M contract? The Bucs will be on the hook for $6M+ for two LT’s. Do you really think the Glazerhouse’s are going to pay that kind of money???
June 27th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Once again you guys are missing a key point: it is in Penn’s best interest to not only play but PLAY HIS BEST. He is playing for his big payday, whether it be for the Bucs or someone else. I presume that is why he has lost 40 pounds.
I have been saying this exact same thing since the issue came up. Some of you are just coming to grips with it and yet you call me an idiot and say I should be banned. L-M-A-O. If you spent even a second thinking about it you would understand that the Bucs truly hold all the cards. Nothing againt Penn. I like him and I hope they give hime a new deal. It’s just that there is absolutely no reason for them to do it. Penn knows that even if some of you do not that it why he just said that the CBA is to blame. My goodness, doesn’t Penn no best???????
June 27th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
I agree JimBuc. I’ve been saying the same thing. Penn needs to sign and play well to get the big payday. Not hold out and hurt his chances, or possibly get injured (which is more likely when he’s not working with the team in the offseason).
I’m just saying that if Penn truly thinks holding out until the beginning of the season is his best option, the team will probably sign a player to a one year deal. They won’t care if they have to pay two guys at that point, they will just want the position taken care of. It’s similar to paying Sean Jones and Sabby Piscitelli to play the same position. They’d rather have their bases covered.
I don’t think it will come to that, but the team will do whatever is necessary. They’ll have a starting lineup and players to back them up, no matter who they are.
June 27th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
@BamBam “They’ll have a starting lineup and players to back them up, no matter who they are.”
Now that’s the spirit! It doesn’t matter who they put out there, I’ll sit back on my lazy boy and enjoy the Bucs regardless of who starts! 😉
As long as you set em low, there is no dissapointment in regards to the outcome. Freeman doesn’t mind who starts. Freeman want’s what is best for the Glazer’s pocket book, he he.
All in all, it really doesn’t matter, the Bucs will be down in the dumps all year. But I still love em. GO BUCS!
June 28th, 2010 at 7:36 am
RahDomdabest
“damn it , JimBuc, shut the hell up for once in your Life!!” lmfao
See! There are things we are in perfect agreement on!
LightningBuc, ” take on your underwear, and put your ballet slippers on” lmao, but not a picture the Capt.wants ta see.
June 28th, 2010 at 7:49 am
Capt. Tim — you are very focused on me for some reason. You have called me a Nazi and a racist (really???). Now, another shot at me. Interesting (and a bit creepy)
June 28th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Capt Tim, I can think of many choice words to label JimBuc. That guy has a serious problem. I was okay with him here on the Penn issue, but when he started in on Derrick Brooks, and then tried to justify his hatred of DB by saying he’d go to Canton and that he has met and talked to Brooks, I’d pretty much just had enough of his lies. I happened to see a few minutes of the Howard Stern movie and Howard called his boss, Pig Vomit. This is the name that first comes to my mind for JB. I’ve been coming to this site for a while now, and many of the originals that were in here hardly post any more. Mr Lucky still does, but I think it’s because of guys like Pig Vomit that absolutely ruin the experience for, well, everybody. I can’t think of one person that Pig Vomit hasn’t puked on at some time or other. I refuse to address the scumbag directly anymore, but I may just make it my mission to dog him out on every post he makes, which is about 10,000/day.
It must be a hard life to have no friends. I bet his wife left him years ago for being a loser. Nah, he’s probably a flaming ball gazer that never had a woman. Now I really kind of wish the guy would go away. He is quite the downer and the best part of him probably ran down his daddy’s leg. Even Joe has taken to dogging him out. He says he’s a fan, but of what I have no freakin clue, other than his own voice. Pig vomit is just that.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:07 am
BMA — wow, I am honored (and a little creeped out) that you spend so much time thinking about me. LMAO.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:14 am
LOL “Pig Vomit.”
“YOU ARE THE MOTHERF@@@ING ANTICHRIST!!!”
June 28th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Wow, JimBuc, and you said I was making ya nervous. I look like yer best friend compared ta these guys, lol. I am starting to suspect that JimBuc is really the secret identity of ( DrumRoll!)
Joe!! Ta da! Don’t think anyone could be that of base by accident!
June 28th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
If I were the man I was five years ago, I’d take a ‘flamethrower’ to this place!
I’m too old, I’m too tired, I’m too f@@@ing blind.
Frank Slade