Bucs Don’t Owe Free Agents
June 26th, 2011
Joe was planning a rage-free Sunday, but that ended early when Joe read the latest proclamation from St. Pete Times beat writer Stephen Holder.
It seems Holder has mounted a thoroughbred and is selling the concept that the Bucs owe their free agents a great-faith effort to re-sign them otherwise the owner and management are nothing more than hot air salesmen.
Whether you remain skeptical or buy every word of it, the moment of truth has arrived for the Bucs’ stated intent to lock up their up-and-coming players.
For a team that has consistently, though not wrongly, eschewed free agency and maintained that its wish is to invest in homegrown talent, the opportunity has arrived to make good on those promises.
If, as anticipated, the collective bargaining agreement being negotiated includes provisions for players with four or more years of experience to earn unrestricted free agent status, the Bucs will have many such players to make decisions on, including MLB Barrett Ruud, G Davin Joseph, LB Quincy Black, RB Cadillac Williams and OT Jeremy Trueblood.
The Bucs will make earnest attempts to re-sign them or watch them walk. The latter route would mean the Bucs would be taking a path different from the one promised since the Jon Gruden-Bruce Allen regime was still in place.
Sorry, Joe doesn’t think the Bucs would be breaking a promise if Cadillac Williams, Jeremy Trueblood, Quincy Black, Barrett Ruud, etc., are encouraged to test the free agent market and, possibly, move on.
What’s always been implied/understood in the Bucs’ stated interest in re-signing “homegrown” free agents is the simple fact that the Bucs value the players and think they’re better than whoever else might be available.
Joe doesn’t want the Bucs re-signing guys on principle; Joe wants the Bucs paying guys who have major game and are worth the money. Trueblood probably isn’t that guy. Black probably isn’t that guy. Cadillac probably is. Ruud is surely on the bubble, depending on his contract demands.
Let them all walk if the guys behind them are better or there’s another team’s free agent who’s a better fit.
This isn’t girl scouts or some lame second-grade soccer league where kids aren’t allowed to keep score and everybody has to be nice to little Jonny and play fair.
A new labor agreement will force the Bucs to spend a pile of cash. Joe expects Mark Dominik to spend in whatever way puts the Bucs in a spot to get a ring, not to live up to a media sound byte or an exact philosophy.
June 26th, 2011 at 10:38 am
The Glazers have a rock solid history on spending large in FA…..thing you myopic newbies fail to accept is the the franchise was and still is rebuilding…..when the team had a solid stack of talent approaching the Super Bowl run they spent freely and traded picks aggressively….
Journalist Joe can go back and print the yearly picks traded away starting in the late 90’s that created the huge multi year high draft pick talent void…..(including Gru)
Scott Dill forward to Sapp and Lynch had to be let go……
June 26th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
RastaMon. – exactly!
June 26th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
I am sick of Holder and his agenda. It’s as if he would rather preemptively call out the Bucs on their “promises to spend” than actually analyze the players for who they are and what their market value is, and act accordingly. It’s as if he would rather make the Glazer’s keep their promise than look to improve the team!
He makes it sound like the bucs have never spent a dime ever, and that the time to finally put up or shut up has arrived. Just because they are our FA’s, doesn’t mean they all actually deserve to come back.
And Holder conveniently left out mention of Donald Penn and K2 as examples of the Bucs investing big contracts in our own guys. He makes it sound like the Glazer’s haven’t spent a dime in 5 years.
Maybe, no one has deserved it till now? Ever think of that Stephen?
June 26th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Rastamon: that pre-super bowl glazer group you speak of was led by Malcolm and rich McKay. Neither man is involved any longer.
Since Malcolm got sick and Manu was acquired, the team is 32nd in player spending and no playoffs sine 08.
The theory above makes a lot of sense: do not retain your own fa’s, don’t sign other teams ufa’s, while still getting better and meeting the new expected 90% floor. That makes about as much sense as trying to convert jermain Phillips into your starting wlb or signing mike Clayton to an eight figure guaranteed contract.
We all know: cheap payroll is the plan, but that will soon be illegal, then what? maybe they will try to put Joel glazer on the 53 man roster and pay him 40 million per year to meet the salary floor. I wouldn’t be shocked.
If this team misses the playoffs again, when are you sheep going to wake up and say enough? It doesn’t take 4 years anymore to rebuild if you are willing to open up your wallets for legit coaches and top level players.
June 26th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Leighroy:t he glazers haven’t spent competitively since the super bowl. In fact, the kids have never spent competitively. They locked season ticket holders in long term riding the super bowl wave of excitement, and then stripped down the team salary wise.
gruden and Allen were told to get the team out of the McKay salary cap limitations, ie stop spending, and try to win on the cheap. If you factor money actually spent on players per win, they had one of the best winning ratios in the league during their time.
A difference in philosophy between the blazers and gru Allen led to their firing, and rah was hired at no cost bc of the $ still owed gruden. Those decisions prioritized money over winning. Gru wanted to make a big free agency splash after 2008, the blazers disagreed and fired him and his buddy.
Dom with rah’s support hit on Freeman, 2010 provided a cake walk schedule and an arriving qb with Freeman. Except for Freeman and williams, maybe blount, the rest is to be determined – but they are third best in the division.
You are going to have to buy studs to catch up. Imagine the saints without brees and vilma.
June 26th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Buzzkill.
June 26th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
No Thomas 2.2 inches. The lil team destroying midget Gruden, and his lil Bitch Allen were told to develop a young QB, and replenish the aging talent . They sucked at both endeavors, and got fired. Gruden can’t coach young players- at all. I don’t know of anything Alken does right. It was your hero who got us into this mess. Still not ready to concede that, Thomas? We needed him to win the SuperBowl. If we had hired him two years earlier, we would have won two. But the man has no skills for maintaining a team, or drafting, or coaching young players.
June 26th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
thomas, would you be so kind as two post your wish list of players you would like to see aquired or extended when this transaction freeze is lifted. i want to see where you would spend 40 million.
June 26th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Good question gotbucs: i will be thrilled to publish what I would do once i see the UFA list and new CBA rules:
I would probably tag Ruud (assuming thd 90% floor). I would resign davin and caddy. I would cut Talib and resign a cb, either nnamdi or joseph. I would invest in a legit pass rusher, either an olb or de. I would look for an established back-up qb. I would strongly consider restructuring / extending Freeman, assuming again that I had to spend 40 million.
I would, if money allowed, bring in a veteran d tackle (a kris jenkins type) to spell the kids, provide some insurance for the kids and teach them toughness.
O line is always worth investing money but I am not sure of who will be available. I would keep Trueblood at the right price.
I believe that rah should not be both d coordinator and hc. Although, i know that doesnt impact the cap i believe that it would jmprove the org.
June 26th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
well thomas, i dont think i’d have much of a problem with any of those moves other than tagging ruud. i really dont feel all that strongly one way or another on the talib front, depends on the length of the suspension for me. overall, solid ideas there.
June 27th, 2011 at 12:26 am
Thomas- I agreed with your FA shopping list. I think Okam actually has a Vetern affect in DT, and Millard will help there also. I think our need at
June 27th, 2011 at 12:32 am
Thomas- I agreed with your FA shopping list. I think Okam actually has a Vetern affect in DT, and Millard will help there also. I think our need at OLb requires immediate attention( probably at Wil, as Foster gets looks at SAM. I also really like Ted Larsen- but at center, his true posistion. So a LG is a priority, if Brandon Carter isn’t the answer . But that’s minor, overall, I agree with your ideas.
That’s happened a few times lately. God, I hope it’s YOU that’s changing, and becoming a little more logical. the other option would make me cut my hands off, to quit posting- lol
June 27th, 2011 at 12:34 am
Well said, joe….couldn’t agree more!
June 27th, 2011 at 8:37 am
If we cut Talib who wants to bet our 3 division rivals are on the phone with him before an hour is out… do I like the things He has done in the past, no not really, (cabbie punching teammate helmet swinging head bashing) as for him defending his family from the losers out there in the world can’t say I would do anything different than what he is accused of…. but would I like to see him in another NFC South uniform on Sundays hell no. I bet Mike Williams and any of our other WR’s would not want to see that either.