Another Reason To Pull For Derrick Ward
August 19th, 2010
Mike Nugent, Luke McCown, Byron Leftwich, Derrick Ward, Michael Clayton, Angelo Crowell, Jim Bates, Jeff Jagodzinski — the list of million dollar free agent signings from Mark Dominik’s first season is not pretty.
Joe suspects that if Dominik had hit a homerun in free agency last year, Team Glazer and the Bucs would have a different attitude towards how to build a winner. That’s just how life goes.
Now Joe is one of those fans who believes that free agency is not a satanic ritual destined to fail. Joe just thinks you have to sign the right people.
So aside from the fact that Ward is wearing pewter and red, maybe Bucs fans should pull for Ward so the team gets a healthier attitude toward free agency.
If Ward is a total bust, Joe suspects the evil, “dark path” of free agency will get the blame, not the guy picking the players.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:04 am
Kinda hard to pull for the guy when has shown us that he really doesn’t care to be here.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:13 am
I’d rather cheer for Keydrick Vincent or Sean Jones, one of the guys actually fighting for a job.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Joe = Truth
August 19th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Or maybe Tim Crowder or Michael Bennett to be successful in their roles as free agent pickups from last year would be good guys to cheer for.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Based on that list no wonder the Glazer’s think FA’s are fools gold.
One of Dom’s great achievements so far is the trade for K-2, which makes the reluctance of the bucs to upgrade through RFA’s puzzling (assuming money is no issue).
A trade for an experienced player who comes in and immediately helps your young franchise QB.
What a concept!
August 19th, 2010 at 9:22 am
ok so Joe … Back up your talk .. Yes Dominick struck out in FA .. So if he just picked the wrong players .. Please go back and give the examples of the FAs that are just thriving with their new teams since … And the Bucs needed a Running Back so if Derrick Ward was the bad pick who was the right one ???
You cant go pickin for fruit in a damn drought.
2011 will be a different story for FA .. Judge Dominick in 2011 for FA
August 19th, 2010 at 9:27 am
All I know is people were praising dominik for the crowell/ward signing…myself being one of them, so I’m not going to be hypocritical and bash the guy, just take the lumps and we’ll recover…like raheem, I think he is learning from his mistakes
August 19th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Joe here,
jvato24 – what’s to back up? Just saying that free agency is about picking the right guys, not blaming the process. Joe liked the Ward signing, too….And off the top of Joe’s head, that Houshmandzadeh guy caught 80 balls last year.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:34 am
You wonder why they decided to “build thru the draft”? Because they blew all their free agent signings last year!
August 19th, 2010 at 9:35 am
It’s all about fit, a crap shoot if you will, and Ward fits like crap.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:36 am
I’m still willing to give the guy a chance, but he runs with no authority, no attitude and no power.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:36 am
jvato24:
It’s Joe’s belief, outside of marginal players (Reggie Brown, Sean Jones, Keydrick Vincent), Dominik is done signing big-name free agents until the team starts winning.
Remember last year the Bucs revolted whenever someone used the word “rebuilding?” They thought Ward was going to be a major piece of a strong ground attack puzzle.
Now, the Bucs are embracing the word “rebuilding.”
August 19th, 2010 at 9:39 am
bucfanjeff:
Derrick Ward ran for the Giants, partially because he was looking for a payday. He got it.
Now, he’s equally concerned with Kardashians as he is running the rock. Check is in the bank.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:43 am
I have to agree with Jvato24. We did not know Caddy was going to be good enough to start for us, Dom did the right thing in signing Derrick Ward then. Of course Ward loved that metropolitan atmosphere and the great brand of NYG, he played like he wanted the starting job bad, but because of Giants policy to go with rotation among 3 backs, he knew he would never be “the man” in that franchise.
He thought he could be “the man” here and got beat out by a player who our franchise has invested more in. What ever the reason could be, if he is not willing to give his all as a backup in a less glamorous franchise, it is more of his fault than the guy that signed him here.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:43 am
A big risk of free agency is player character. Players all work for “the big payday” contract that gives them financial security. Then what? Some players reach their goal, then tank. Meybe unconciously, but goal achieved- effort fails! Hard to predict that sometimes. And again , the point no one here listens to, A lot of free agents don’t want to come here right now! Free agents are ussually in their prime. Everyone knows we are in a youth movement/ rebuilting phase. Free agents are free to go where they want. Most want a chance to go to the playoffs= mo’ money! Factor all that in. And FAs is hit and miss. Crowder, Bennet, Jones, Brown, and Vincent may all contribute this year. Would love to see Ward pick it up, but don’t expect it. I remember last year, during a pregame show. Ward was talking to some other players about” hanging in there, and finally hitting the big Money!” Sadly, he didn’t mention his oppurtunity to become a feature Back. Nuff said!
August 19th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Anyways, Ward was a fun guy to watch and the guy really fought for that extra yard every time. I always thought he should be a Buccaneer and now we get this kind of lousy effort from him. I hope he pulls his stuff together and plays like he did 2 years back.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Agreed Capt. Tim, but I doubt with your theory of mo’ wins = mo’ money. I think wins should not really matter in terms of FA contracts. However I agree that quality FAs would not want to come here because our franchise is in a struggling to win phase and one ignored by media. Heck this franchise has been ignored by media even during winning seasons and FAs IMO also look to be at a place with more buzz, them on TV giving interviews to Jim Rome, Rich Eisen, Colin Cowherd, PTI etc.
August 19th, 2010 at 10:02 am
i’d love to know the success rate for high dollar fa’s that switch teams. it can’t be very high. also, lets lay a little bit of blame on our former pro personnel director..
August 19th, 2010 at 10:08 am
i’m having a having a hard time cheering for a guy with no heart just because he was expensive. i’d first like to see him give a sh_t about this team.
August 19th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Joe=Douche
August 19th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Joe here,
BigJohn – Would you like to tell everyone who you work for, or should Joe? Don’t you have anything better to do on the clock? Computer technology is a wonderful thing.
August 19th, 2010 at 10:46 am
I thought Ward would be a good addition to our team also … He just isnt quick to the hole … His good Giants runs allowed him to get moving before contact … He couldnt juke Mount Cody
2011 FA should basically be 2 years worth of FAs .. It will be interesting to see what happens a good majority of the team core has now been set ..
August 19th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Let’s give Dom a break. After all he “thought” he was doing the right thing.
That’s all that matters.
And another 3-13 season is merely a gateway to the dynasty. Have patience.
August 19th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Ok now I have to know who is Big John?
August 19th, 2010 at 11:50 am
@JOE,
Oh so you’re gonna out one of your commenters because you don’t like what they have to say?
OHHH, Don’t mess with big bad joebucsfan…lol
August 19th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Jesus FGO, he didn’t disagree with Joe! He just called Joe A Douche! He doesn’t have to put up that crap on his on site! Fire him up Joe! Tell us where he works!
August 19th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
@ ac3
Yep. I’m in the same boat bro. Right after he signed I went to NFL.com to watch D. Ward’s highlights and got absolutely giddy watching his suddeness to the hole out of those G-men shotgun formations. He had no fear. Now he looks like Shaun Alexander out there post-big contract…suckered in again by free agency!
August 19th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
CaptTim,
“He doesn’t have to put up that crap on his on site!”
Exactly! Key word HIS!
August 19th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
As for Ward, I was never really sure of him when they signed him. My thought was, here’s a 7th round second-stringer running, when the defenses were probably worn down and part of a triple threat behind a hell of a O-line, soon to be making big money? And I’m still waiting to be impressed with his signing.
August 19th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Capt.Tim:
Joe was hoping he’d use Hate Mail.
August 19th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Joe, Unfortunately no, cause then nobody would’ve seen his insult. Little John sounds pathetic!
August 19th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Eric…Evryone thought Ward was a great FA running back last year. No need to use sarasm to rag on Dom for rolling the dice and coming up empty, besides, maybe he kisks it up a notch this week.
August 19th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
McBuc, “Evryone thought Ward was a great FA running back last year.” I guess you missed my comment?
August 19th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Dom makes a good decision = Good
Dom makes a poor decision= Good
Lets face it, the free agent decision making has been horrible.
August 19th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Serious Question (to the Domminic and Glazer supporters and Eric too):
If Raheem get’s fired, BUT Dom gets to stay, would you still love Dom and the Glazers? And what if the faceless Glazer Brats make Dom give a press conference on the firing of Raheem?
August 19th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
“If Rah gets fired”, “If we hire Vince lombadi”, “if we lose 16 games”. You slow squad fellas aren’t big on reality, are ya? Everything is a Lil fantasy of yours. Instead of making up you Lil hallucinations, why not stick to reality? Then you don’t have to spend so much of your time with yer head in yer ass! 🙂
August 19th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Hey, I’m not big on the FA acquisitions we’ve made the past couple seasons, but I also know there wasn’t much out there either. Last year, Ward WAS the RB FA everyone sought. There wasn’t anyone else that was a 1000 yard rusher that had the potential to come in and be the “guy”. So, it didn’t work out. I won’t blame that on Dom, happens to a lot of teams actually.
I actually think the few guys we got this offseason through FA were pretty good pick ups. The provided at the very least competition at positions of need to improve the play at those positions.
So, we haven’t made as many BIG trades as people would like, but I really like the drafts of the past two offseasons pretty well, so I’d hate to have given up those picks for those players if the drafting pans out and continues to do so in the future. If Biggers pans out, wouldn’t you have wanted that 7th round pick instead of having traded it away? What about the 4th for Williams? Wouldn’t it be better (if the drafting pans out) to have those picks?
We won’t know if it pans out for a year or two and we fully realize what we have in these young guys. But, it sure looks right now like the team is better at drafting than getting FAs. Trading picks for players is good in that they’re proven, but they’ve also taken the abuse of the NFL for a few years too. Boldin’s had his share of injuries, Marshall had a hip injury, Holmes had character concerns. We’ve got young, healthy guys that are good character guys to build with.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
Would you koolaid drinkers be celebrating Dom and the Glazers if they fire Raheem and Dom stays???
Answer the question.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Depends on when they fire him… right now? No, I wouldn’t be happy with that. If the young guys just aren’t getting it, and show no progress they will obviously be losing games and having a bad year. If that happens, I would not be upset with Dom and the Glazers firing Morris. I do believe they’ll give him this year, will probably see “enough” progress (whatever that is to them) and give him one more year to “prove” it. We’re probably gonna have Morris as the coach through 2011. No telling what happens after that. Just the way I see it.
But again, to answer the question… I wouldn’t be upset if they fired him (maybe not celebrating, heck, I don’t think I’ve celebrated the firing of any coach).
August 19th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Oh, and I just answered that because I figured you guys must think I’m one of the kool-aid crowd. I’d say I’m a realist first, optimist second, so that probably puts me in the kool-aid group.
August 19th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
I hope he does well but the attitude needs and improvement…
August 19th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
BamBam you should run for president.
Or at least head up the Glazer Brats PR campaing
The problem I have is, what if the players talent does net them a few more wins? Yet Raheem still makes bone headed decisions? What happens then? Technically the players natural growth equated to a few more wins, say 5 or 6, but Raheem didn’t really have anything to do with it. Raheem would get credit for those few extra wins and get to keep his job.
Why let a moron keep his job just because the players grew a little naturally?
August 19th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Nothing is going to change, at least not right now. Just because one chooses to make the most of a situation doesn’t mean they 100% approve of it. Some have more patience than others, and living in the real world as was mentioned above keeps one much more grounded. I try to support Raheem now, though I didn’t at first, but he’s what I got. This game Saturday should be pretty good. I’m excited about Free & Willy and now we get the McPrice combo for the first time. Lewis will get to display his wares & K2 takes the field along with the Ultimate Cab Striker. Cocked, Locked & Ready to Rock. There’s just no way in hell I could miss this, even if it is preseason. If Trent Dilfer can get a Superbowl ring then truly anything can happen.
August 19th, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Well, I fully support Mark D and the ownership 100%. I trusted them when they hired Tony Dungy, I trusted them when they trade draft picks for Jon Gruden (Super Bowl 🙂 ) and I trust them now with the Raheem Morris move. This ownership is top notch. They are accustomed to winning and winning big. They will not stand for mediocrity. The Glazers mean business. And if Raheem doesn’t provide the proper coaching for this talented young bunch and show progress, well then I will fully support the Galzers and the young, talented General Manager put in place to remove Raheem from his duties and go out and find a more qualified head coach.
So to answer your question Javier, I am not a kool-aid drinker for Raheem Morris, but a Tampa Bay Buccaneer oranization supporter, and if the General Manager were to fire Raheem Morris, then yes, I would still fully support Mark D and the ownership.
I mean, they already signed two cornerstones of their team in McCoy and Penn, for over 100 million dollars. This group means business, and will levy the funds when the personel deserve it. They will spend money when it counts.
So I hope that answers your question Javier, it’s not about one man. It’s not just about Raheem Morris. It’s about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And no matter what they do, I fully support their decisions, because that’s what real fans do, they SUPPORT THEIR TEAM OUTRIGHT. So stop questioning them and the plan of success they have laid out for the Bucs. Trust in the Glazer’s. They are very smart owners who care about their team very much so.