What/Who Will Derrick Ward Reimburse?
August 23rd, 2010
Well, after the Bucs beat the Chiefs Saturday night in the Bucs first home game of the preseason, one of the first things Joe was hoping was that Derrick Ward was OK.
Ward, suddenly an embattled Bucs running back, precariously clinging to a roster spot, had his bell rung Saturday and left the game with 10:40 left in the third quarter after his best run of the night, a four-yard gain.
Joe truly hopes Ward is OK and can go when the Bucs host the Jags this Saturday. But Ward, who signed a hefty pay raise as a free agent last offseason, has had a miserable preseason, averaging only 1.8 yards a carry.
In the preseason opener against Miami, Ward ran for just 20 yards on 12 carries and fumbled twice. An awful performance by just about anyone’s standards.
Then Ward got dumb. He “guaranteed” he would play great against the Chiefs, as documented by Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
“That was just a fluke game, but I guarantee you this weekend I’ll have a great game.”
This turns Joe’s stomach whenever some jock offers a “guarantee.”
Consider the definition of guarantee from Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary.
“… an assurance of the quality of or of the length of use to be expected from a product offered for sale often with a promise of reimbursement.”
So what exactly was Ward going to reimburse and exactly who was he going to reimburse? What, he was going to cough up his first paycheck of the season, buy the entire Bucs press corps dinner at Lee Roy Selmons, buy 30,000 fans a free ticket, offer up a Kardashian? Who was going to collect?
Joe just prays the next time some player “guarantees” something, the very next question a reporter should ask is what the player is going to give up if his empty promise is unfulfilled?
Otherwise, talk is empty and cheap. Why not try something novel? How about letting your legs do the talking Ward?
August 23rd, 2010 at 7:03 am
heh…at least that way we’d be CLOSER to selling out. Not quite there yet, but closer.
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:00 am
I know Joe thinks that Huggins is a long shot to make the roster, but if he doesn’t and Ward does, it will be a travesty.
I hope we can trade this fool and get something for him. Is he making any guaranteed money this year? I think that will go a long way in deciding whether he stays.
And now that Freeman is hurt, we will likely use another roster spot to bring in a QB.
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:35 am
“How about letting your legs do the talking Ward?”
Let’s change that to,
How about letting your legs do the walking – out the door.
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:42 am
Free agency has bit the Bucs in the A$$ more times than it has helped. It worked for the Super Bowl run, but after that the well has run dry. Bucs should have learned after Alvin Harper that the #2 guy is good only because the #1 guy is great. Not to mention working behind pro bowl offensive lines. There isn’t enough room to list all of the free agent busts since 2002!
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:53 am
He got hit hard maybe he will recall on how to be a 1000 yard back
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:38 pm
@Bucnjim…How about letting T. Jones gop, so we could make room for Charlie Garner? What were the Bucs thinking there…of course it seems to be the story of Jones carreer.
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I wonder how he figures to make the payments on the black Lamborghini he showed up to training camp in.