THE OPTIMIST: We All Need Some Shades
May 13th, 2011
The Optimist is eternally grateful that Bruce Allen has left the building
You’ve all read THE PESSIMIST, who spews his Bucs-related anger like no other. But Joe also wants you to know THE OPTIMIST.
THE OPTIMIST is Nick Houllis, a Bucs fan and an accomplished writer whose steadfast allegiance to the team goes back to the 1970s. Houllis is the founder, creator and guru of BucStop.com, a place Joe goes to get lost in time via Houllis’ stunning video collection.
THE OPTIMIST will shine that positive light in your eyes. Some will love it. Some won’t.
Ahh, the draft has been over a little while, but The Optimist is still a happy camper; the Bucs stocked up on great talent, and they did it the old fashioned way — without free agency.
So why is The Optimist beaming with sunshine? Why is The Optimist talking about himself in the third person like Joe does? That one I cannot answer, I don’t know. Call it the mood.
But the draft question I can answer, because I’m excited the Bucs are using that April New York NFL get-together once again like they used to; to build the foundation of a winning football team.
Oh the years gone by when we picked John Lynch (’93), Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks (’95), Mike Alstott (’96), Donnie Abraham (’96), Ronde Barber (’98), etc. For the last decade, the draft has been somewhat of a non-event around these parts.
The front office would make its seven picks, and you could line them up and describe them in order like this: Picks Nos. 1 and 2 should make the team, Nos. 3 & 4 have a 50/50 chance of being a starter in three years, and the rest were just names not really worth reading the bios on because you just knew you’d never see them after preseason.
Wow, how that has changed since Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik have taken over the job!
How much so? Well, lets take a look, and to be fair, lets take out this year’s 2011 draft because we have NO IDEA how these players are going to turn out.
We DO know what last years class did, and the year before, so we can compare it to the damper that was called the NFL draft put on by Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen.
You can start with the NO.1’s, which is really not even fair, because the picking of Josh Freeman makes the 2006, 2007, and 2008 top round picks worthless by comparison. Oh sure, Gruden got us Aqib Talib; and how typical. He may be gone in four years like the rest of Gru-Allen’s selections!
But while Davin Joseph (2006 No.1) will probably be re-signed and continue as a Pro Bowl-level guard for the team, the second & third round picks Jeremy Trueblood and Maurice Stovall are all but history; replaceable.
Jump to 2008, where the pride of Gru-Allen, Mr. Cab Slapper himself, is looking at a possible prison sentence as a worse case scenario, and getting kicked off the team as a sort of win-win situation. Third-rounder Jeremy Zuttah has more upside than all the G-A Picks of the last four years combined.
The fact that only four players are even on the roster left from a draft that occurred only three years ago is so telling. After three seasons is when you should be relying on these guys to make the nucleus of your team. Instead, 3rd, 4th and beyond selections like Cory Boyd, Dre Moore, Alan Zemitis, Julian Jenkins, TJ Williams, Justin Phinisee, and the unforgettable Tim Massaquoiare are nothing more than Internet trivia.
On the contrary, Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik have brought the lost art of late-round drafting back en vogue.
Players like Roy Miller, EJ Biggers, Sammie Stroughter show how the new Bucs front office gurus know how to pick talent that can contribute. More names like Arrelious Benn, Myron Lewis, Mike Williams, Cody Grimm and Dekoda Watson are only going into their second seasons, but they are already on the cusp of being NFL starters ready to make a mark in the league.
That’s a far cry from the disaster draft that was 2007, two years before the Bucs 3-13 season that everyone wanted to pin on Raheem Morris.
But that’s not as bad as others who are nowhere even near a Buccaneer nor NFL roster of any kind for that matter; Gaines Adams and Arron Sears. Both surrounded by tragedies to be sure, but still, those are No. 1 and No. 2 picks, and it’s only four years later, and they are not even in the NFL anymore.
No Mel Kiper or even Nostrodamus could have foretold their futures, but it just summarizes how terrible the former regime drafted around here, and further explains to those who couldn’t figure out why the Bucs havn’t won a playoff game in almost a decade.
Heck, with that lack of talent around here, maybe Jon Gruden deserves some
extra credit for posting NFC South division championships in 2005 and 2007. But all the accolades now go to Raheem and Mark Dominik. Who knows, maybe in a few years their first couple of drafts may look even better than Tony Dungy’s.
Wouldn’t that be something; Jon Gruden’s prognostication couldn’t be more accurate — “The futures so bright, you gotta wear shades.”(News conference-2006)
I’ve got my Ray Bans on, Jon.
May 13th, 2011 at 11:53 am
Great article…..I guess I was so smittened by the Gruden aura that I never really paid close enough attention to how bad he was as a talent evaluator…or Allen for that matter.
It is a great time to be a BUCS fan!
May 13th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
So basically, in 4 years, we will be able to judge Raheem’s first draft? And in 5 years his second draft? 6 years his third draft?
Comparisons of then to now are absurd to be totally honest.
Guess what, only one player from Tony Dungy’s draft is still on the team. Oh, and zero players are from Sam Wyches team.
Pretty silly to compare NOW to years and years ago. Eventually all of Gruden’s players will be off the team. It’s called evolution.
Look, when Raheem has a crappy year this because of the tougher schedule and his inept coaching style, you will see all the pundits talking about when he will get fired. Just wait and see. But don’t be surprised.
May 13th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
We Need Defense…interesting take.
I don’t think its silly, if you take a look at Gruden/Allen’s picks, past the first round, you see that a majority of them never had any impact on the team or NFL for that matter, I think that is what the article is pointing out.
Obviously you don’t like Raheem and that’s fine, but I wonder if he does have a successful season (make the playoffs) will you continue to slam him and make excuses for his success or at some point will you give him credit…..I’d be suprised;)
May 13th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
WeNeedDefense needs therapy!
We only have the 16th hardest schedule this year, its not beyond the relm of believability that we repeat our ten win season. And as far as Raheem is concerned, If we fired him 20 other ballclubs would snatch him up, period!
May 13th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
McKay had the worst drafts if you ask me. And to be honost, Dominik’s first draft, other than Freeman, that draft is starting to look not that great.
May 13th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Raheem and Dominick have better undrafted free agents , than Gruden/Allen did first round picks. Blount is more talented than anyone those two boneheads drafted!
Great article, optimist!. Love to remind the” Gruden mancrush crew” just how bad the guy was at Coaching/drafting! God Bless the Glazers for chasing those two Bums outta town
May 13th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Even the optimist couldnt argue that gmc is worth a damn. Lol
May 13th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
The gruden allen tandem did prove to be a poor mix. Gruden is a brilliant coach and football mind but puts too little confidence in young players. Allen just didnt have the balls or skillset to supplement gruden where needed. Dom does have a decent eye for young talent.
That is why the gmc mistake is surprising. I think they were so desperate for dt that they reached not knowing that price would be there. Remember, the only way we got blount was after the titans cut him. Dom drafted brent bowden instead of blount.
May 13th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
@Capt. Tim
Who got Penn??? oh yea, now we remember. He was an undrafted free agent that worked out pretty well.
May 13th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Capt Tim
Did you really pay attention to the Bucs before Raheem and Dom? I’m not sure? Cause, Penn has been on the team since 2006. That would make him an Allen signing!
May 13th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
Thomas 2.2…..dont you think its a little early to call GMC a bust?
No recent DT other than SUH has really dominated their rookie season. If your really watching his progression throughout the season, you can’t honestly believe that he was not getting better before his injury.
Is he going to be the next dominate DT, there is no way to know just yet…but a little premature to call it a bad pick up, at the time of the draft he was rated a top 3 pick on everybody’s board, so if your talking value, the value was there.
May 13th, 2011 at 2:25 pm
@T2.2; you are unreal, GMC will be a dominant force, sorry he wasn’t the force you expected coming out like Suh, but then again he didn’t have VandenBosch or Williams on either side of him to pick up the slack. Generally linemen either O or D take at least 2 years to figure it out, first year is learning a new PROFESSIONAL scheme, the second year is spent working their technique, after that you can really look for them to blossom. If you would take the time to learn some football, maybe just maybe you’d be able to make competent insightful comments, until then don’t speak until you know what you speak of. It’s better to let someone think you a fool, then to open your mouth and prove them correct.
May 13th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Thomas 2.2
How exactly is a DT that improved throughout the year, his first year, a mistake? It is only year one. He showed alot of improvement and his last few games he was the most disruptive lineman they had.
Again, however, it is only year one so I will not say he is a success just as there is no way you should be claiming he is a mistake. That is just ignorance.
Of course, there were a whole lot of you out there who would not give Freeman a chance and calling him a huge mistake throughout the draft and his entire first year.
All I ask is that people give these kids 3 years to prove themselves.
May 13th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Dave:
Look up gmc’s stat line against atlanta the second time, i believe it was game 12 his second to last:
Tackles:0
Assist:0
Sacks:0
Pressures: 0
Yet he played the entire game. He was no factor, elimated by the left side of atlantas line. Except for his 1 good game and 1.5 acceptable games, he was a liability as a third overall.
It is not true that every team had him as a top 3, bc of his lack of productivity at ou and poor combine, some had him WAY down their board.
May 13th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Who said McKay drafted bad? You need to go back and visit the McKay years. Rich McKay did a great job at drafting, we just ended up in Cap hell, like most SB teams not called the Patriots.
T 2.2…Really!?
May 13th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
I agree with the argument that it is not over for gmc. I disagree with the argument that he played as billed or as expected for a third overall. I recall MANY of you arguing with me that he was better than Suh. My point was and is if suh is gone DONT take Mccoy.
May 13th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
Gru/Allen were perhaps the worst talent evaluators in the league during their time together. The Glazers were 100% right by promoting Rah/Dom. These guys are going to lead this team to greatness in a couple of years!
D-linemen historically need more time to develop in the NFL. That is a fact. Everyone here agrees Suh is a very special talent and may become one the best DTs of all time. McCoy may well too. He just needs to build up his core strength. Thomas knows that dogging GMC gets under the skin of a few guys around here and that’s his motivation. If McCoy was a Gruden pick, he would be singing a different tune. This is why he cannot be taken seriously! His agenda is to discount everything this new regime does right and magnify anything he perceives to be negative. He has zero objectivity!
May 13th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Thomas 2.2:
????
Who is “some?”
May 13th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
It is well Known that Richie Mckay drafted and signed bad contracts with both the Bucs and Falcons.
I lot of people did not notice his mismanagement because Buc coaches were winning in spite of the McKay dealings. Even Joe will agree that the last 3-4 Mckay drafts were some of the worst.
May 13th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
the_buc_realist:
Didn’t richie put a franchise tag on Marcus Jones?
May 13th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
i heard that Simeon Rice used to call him ” Make’em Rich Mckay”.
May 13th, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Let’s wait another season before we even consider slapping the bust label on GMC, Thomas. He started off slowly but he progressed during the year (before he got hurt). 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles is solid for a rookie DT. I won’t compare him to Suh because they are two different animals and also because Suh was never available for Tampa to consider selecting, but your negative attitude and the fact that you are essentially giving up on a first year player who doesn’t have 16 games under his belt is one reason why you’re not running an NFL franchise.
I expect GMC to do much more (or to save Thomas some typing – anything at all) next season, and will be concerned if he takes a step back like the late Gaines Adams did, but I think McCoy will be just fine. Patience, it’s a young team on the cusp of potential greatness, and now more than ever is a great time to be a Bucs fan.
j.
May 13th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Every post on here is either by T2.2, Starts with T2.2, or addresses T2.2. The dude is mutherphuckin celebrity and doesn’t have a clue.
I was a as big of a Gruden Fan as anyone, but he missed on more players than he hit. It always seemed as if Allen really worked for Gruden instead of the other way around. Has anyone noticed that the Redskins haven’t improved a lick since Allen’s arrival. Still, Gruden should get credit for Cadi, Graham, Davin, JJ, Zuttah. They’re all solid players. TJax & Talib(an) (yes I stole that, sorry Cptn), are great players and I can’t blame Gruden for their actions off the field anymore than I can blame Raheem. So, I agree that Gruden blew some major picks but he also made a few good ones too. Monte Kiffin was here and a strong force who should share in the blame game as well. For me, the 2 top busts were Michael Clayhands (who could be Formerbuc) and Gaines Adams, rip whatever.
May 13th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
I am so sick of T2 bringing up that stupid no stat Atlanta game. Hey Thomas, while you are b!tching and moaning about that game, I noticed you forgot one pretty important stat – QB Hits. Guess what, he had 3 QB hits, and our team only had 4. So although a QB hit is obviously not as good as a sack, for you to say he was dominated by the Atlanta line is completely false. You put 0 pressures, which is a FLAT OUT LIE. Look it up. It’s one thing to have an opinion, but I will not respect you when you lie to prove your point. So go ahead, defend yourself. And while you are at it, answer Joe’s question – Who had McCoy down their board? Again, nice job making stuff up. FRAUD!!!
May 13th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Oops, I just had another post censored. 2’nd time this week. I guess if you talk too bad about the 40 yr old brat, there is an automatic gotcha.
May 13th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
The funny thing about Richie McKay was after his lousy GM work in ATL he got promoted to Vice President.
May 13th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Joe and hawaiian:
Article by Pat Kirwan pre-draft about McCoy draft stock slipping- look it up – I dont have time. All of the stat lines for atl thst i looked up on mccoy: espn and cbs – show straight goise eggs – feel free to confirm. Joe: at OU Mccoy had 14 sacks in three years and averaged less than 30 total tackles per, his career equates comparably to suh’s final season. For a 3rd overall, I thought he was terribly unproductive at OU.
May 13th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Sapp, Brooks, Dunn, Alstott, Lynch, broguht nin hardy…nuff said realist. ATL has been a better team since he arrived, and Tampa was a better team when he was here. If we are talking tags, we could look at Dom on the AB tag…but no one is perfect. McKay built our Super Bowl team, and gruden coached it. Why do you guys have to bash the past, just embrace the present with Morris and Dom, it is looking like a bright future.
May 13th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
@Thomas,
Really, ESPN? Hmmm, that’s funny, maybe you have a different ESPN in fantasyland. Maybe you should look again: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=301205027.
Eat your words.
May 13th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Thomas the liar,
Looked it up, just like you said. here is a quote:
“Watch and see McCoy fall out of the top three and maybe all the way down to No. 6 in Seattle,” said one personnel director. We doubt McCoy will fall that far, but much depends on Jimmy Clausen emerging as a possible top-four pick.”
OH NOOOOOOO!!!!! All the way to #6!!!!!! What a freefall!!!!!! Number 6 is so terrible! It’s a shame that you have to be such a liar just to trash this kid. You are a complete joke, and you have absolutely no credibility when it comes to anything football, and more importantly related to the Bucs.
May 13th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
And CBS doesn’t post QB Hits or Pressures. So how exactly did you get that zero pressures stat? Man up and admit you are an idiot.
May 13th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Not bad being from memory more than a year ago. There are more articles if i have time later i will locate.
May 13th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
LOL…Way to go Hawaiian!
May 13th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
You idiot:
I believe that most teams keep both hit stats and pressure stats. If you hit the qb but it doesnt effect the throw its not a pressure. If u are bearing down on the qb and he throws it away but you dont hit him, its a pressure not a hit. That how. Go back to kiddie football school.
May 13th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
T 2.2…I do not remember anyone saying McCoy was better than Suh, the argument was that he fit the Tampa system better. That being said I do not think that that is 100% true, if Suh was on the board tampa would have grabbed him…just like any other team would have. He was not on the board so get over it. go cheer for the Lions if you love Suh so much. With all his great ststa, and a win over the Bucs, the Lions still did not finish better than the Bucs. If you hate all things Bucs so much, why do you post on a Bucs site and try to make a name based on the tampa 2 defense? you clearly are not a fan. An no, that does not make me a “sheep”, I am a Bucs fan 100% since the day the Bucs made the scene.
May 13th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
Then where did you get the pressure stats? Show me a source. Let me guess, you don’t have time. But you do have time to post 14 posts about GMC. You are a fraud, and you know you are wrong and you got caught lying. Come on loser, show me a source.
May 13th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Here is a pre-draft eval of GMC article as requested, there are dozens more and many I referenced previously:
http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/3/30/1397514/gerlad-mccoy-and-the-missing
Hawaiian: You are saying McCoy had 3 qb hits against Atlanta, I am saying that I recall looking up stats on ESPN and CBS previously and posting 0-0-0-0 for his stat line across the board. You are saying that he had 3 hits, I am saying that may not count as a pressure because THEY ARE DIFFERENT stats than hits. I don’t recall seeing any stat line for hits (not that it matters if all else were zeros).
May 13th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
First of all, qb pressures are not an official stat. Second, if you look it up on ESPN, it clearly states he had 3 QB hits. I even sent you the link. What, you think they just added that 3 today? CBS doesn’t put either pressures or hits. If you look at all your posts about that game (and there have been many), you always say zero pressures. You are wrong, you just made that up. Finally, and most importantly, it shows you didn’t really watch the game. I did, twice, which is why I finally decided to look it up because I had a feeling you were lying. He was constantly in their backfield harassing Ryan.
And seriously, Fieldgulls? Is that really your source? Is that the best you could do? The article was written by John Morgan. Do you have any idea who that is? Does anyone? No, because he is a blog writer in the Seattle area (I had to look him up). Is he a draft expert in any way, shape, or form? No. That is the single weakest source you could have possibly given. I’m sure you knew it before you posted it, but it was all you could find. That’s weak Thomas, even for you! With every post, you are showing how much of a fraud you really are. You should really just stop, while you have any dignity (oh wait, too late).
May 13th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Since we are in the mood of posting any sources you can find, here’s a few:
http://draftbreakdown.com/scouting-report-gerald-mccoy
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1123685
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/02/08/mayock-has-gerald-mccoy-ahead-of-suh/
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/profiles/gerald-mccoy?id=496816
http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=1676
May 13th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
I guess none of those sources can compete with the great “Fieldgulls”!!!
May 13th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Tampa is very fortunate to have a world class talent evaluator in Mark Dominick, and a world class motivator in Raheem Morris.
They are quickly making most Buc Fans quite happy. I know I am happy with the direction Tampa has been going lately.
May 13th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
for the guy that called capt. tim out on the donald penn deal, dominik was in charge of pro scouting at the time and i recall either gruden or allen saying that dominik pushed hard for the team to sign him.
May 13th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
From Joe’s archives dated April 13, 2010:
While Kirwan believes McCoy to be the best defensive lineman prospect, he also believes McCoy possesses the highest chance of being a bust.
Biggest boom-or-bust prospect
McCoy is the next in a long line of potential Warren Sapp-type players. In fact, it looks like he could be headed to Tampa Bay. He did not impress in strength testing and can get washed down the line if he fails to penetrate. If he can rely on his first step quickness to win most of the individual battles, he could be a Pro Bowl player down the road.
If it’s any solace, Warren Sapp dismissed McCoy’s alleged weak showing on the bench press, saying defensive tackles don’t pump weights on the 50-yard line. McCoy’s forte is speed and that is what used to make the Bucs’ defensive front so special.
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May 13th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
“Third-rounder Jeremy Zuttah has more upside than all the G-A Picks of the last four years combined.”
Is Joe still going by proclamation that he and the Optimist are not one in the same? The irrational comment about our backup Guard/Center made me throw up in my mouth a little. And we know damn well that only Joe is bad enough a judge of talent to make such a silly Zuttah-mancrush comment like that.
The difference between the successful draft picks of the 90’s and this year are those players fell due to size (Brooks, Dunn) speed (Barber) and character (Sapp) . None of them fell because of medical concerns, yet both Bowers and Clayborn’s risk-reward is based on the hope that neither has physical issues limit their future prospects. None of the Pro Bowlers in the 90’s were physically limited like the top 2 in 2011.
May 13th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
Joe here,
@Tom – Considering Joe provides the name of The Optimist in the opening, Nick Houllis, and offers a link to his website, BucStop.com, it’s safe to say Joe is not The Optimist. …And Joe’s not The Pessimist or Thomas 2.2, for you conspiracy theorists out there.
May 13th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
True, I noticed that just after posting. But the Zuttah comment is uncalled for. Marginal at best backup G/C who has trouble snapping the ball to Freeman. Yup, I smell Pro Bowl!
May 14th, 2011 at 4:23 am
Once again Thomas you got your ass kicked in a debate with Hawaiian…was funny though.
May 14th, 2011 at 7:41 am
Didn’t even bother reading the article. Saw the title and immediately agreed. One of the greatest moments in Buc history, after Ronde’s galactic interception and winning the Superbowl, was kicking Bruce Allen to the curb. He was crap from teh moment he walked in.
He might be a good person, but when it comes to football operations, he is second worst only to Matt Millen. Maybe Bruce can give Haynesworth a raise this offseason then sign Terrell Owens and drag Warren moon out of retirement for one last hurrah.
May 14th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Thanks, GotBucs! Was pretty busy yesterday, and didn’t get back here.
Yes, as has been well documented, Mark Dominick found and signed Donald Penn on the Minnesota practice squad. To find arguably the best Left tackle in the NFL as an unsigned free agent was the beginning to what has already become a meteoric rise by Our young GM! Blount, Larsen,Stroughter, Grimm, and others are just further examples of his eye for talent.
Anyone who didn’t see the difference GMC was making to our defense last year, doesn’t know anything about football. He made a difference last year, when he alone always drew a double team- sometimes a triple team! Despite that, he still frequently disrupted Plays and got in the backfield. With more talent On defense, McCoy will prove unstoppable. Last year, no other lineman played up to even average production for an NFL lineman. All except GMC played very poorly for NFL starters. Also our Wil and Sam LBs regressed, and brought no physicality to the game. That will all be changed this year. Price, Clayborn, Bowers, and Foster will all be major upgrades to last years starters. There will be another LB(Wil) added thru free agency. With NFL level talent around him, McCoy will be dominant
May 14th, 2011 at 9:39 am
I love how hawaiian argues against my statement that gmc had zeros across the board against atlanta (which he agrees cbs provides). Then says I am lying bc he found that gmc had 3 qb hits. Then later he posts: qb hits are not an official stat: well i guess we agree that he had zeros across the board “officially.” (see cbs sportsline stats) thanks for proving me right again. Lol
May 14th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Nice Job Hawaiian Buc and McBuc!!! You guys rock!
Playing football isn’t all about bench press. Defensive Tackles need strong thighs for push, and their job starts from the legs. McCoy is huge below the waste. He is young and should gain more upper body strength over the next few years, especially rehabbing the arm. It is natural to work an injured muscle harder after it has healed for piece of mind. Suh may be more talented than GMC, but GMC is good kid with a strong motor. I’m happy he is on our team and think he will be a long term asset, Price too, but they have to get healthy. Anyone can get injured in the NFL and Suh could be next. He has a repaired knee, but no one ever talks about it. There are some dirty O linemen in the NFL (3 play for ATL) and after Suh’s rookie performance, some may go after him. It’s sad but true and cheap shots happen. Let’s say the Bucs drafted Suh, what would have it cost to move up that one spot? Look what Atlanta gave up this year. That was stupid IMO. I think that Price & GMC will produce more than Suh & Best starting this year. I wanted Suh as a Buc, but who didn’t? It would not have been worth trading some of the draft to get him. I still think Detroit should have drafted a top Left Tackle. They skipped it again this year and it is a glaring weakness on their team. Their $100MM QB has spent 2 years on IR, and look for it to be 3 years in a row. I’m glad we have Donald Penn & Mark Dominick.
May 14th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Also u guys want to give gru blame for the problems his drafted or signed players make i.e. Tjax and talib. Yet you dont want to give him credit for players that he acquired that are assets bc dom was on the scouting staff. Well you cant have it both ways, if you are going to give rah dom credit for penn, they must get blame for tjax and talib. And the same goes for credit. Otherwise u are just biased.
May 14th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Hahahahaha! Thomas used the term “biased”! You sir are the definition of of the word biased.
May 14th, 2011 at 5:08 pm
Can you read Thomass? I said QB Pressures are not an official stat. Did you even look at ESPN? It is not zeros across the board. Why don’t you go back to read fieldgullys and see what he has to say about the situation.
May 14th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Hawaiian Buc:
GMC is evil incarnate to Thomas. Dude could get 12 sacks next year and Thomas will still be screaming in the middle of the night that the guy is wearing a Bucs uniform. One of two things will happen in the next couple of years. GMC will prove Thomas 2.2 right or wrong.
In Thomas 2.2’s eyes, GMC is Ryan Leaf.
May 14th, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Joe,
I know, but I have a serious problem with a Bucs “fan” lying just to prove his point. I don’t even think he watched the game in question, but even if he did it wouldn’t matter. Yet how many times has he referenced that game?
You have to admit, using Fieldgully’s as an actual source had to be the weakest possible argument anyone could make. At least now we know where he gets his unbelievable sports knowledge, lol.
May 15th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
Donald Penn was discovered off the Minnesota Vikings practice squad by our pro personnel scout. At the time under Bruce Allen, the pro personnel man who found him was Mark Dominik. Thats why I give him credit.