Cadillac Williams St. Louis Bound
August 3rd, 2011
Bucs fans were crossing their fingers that fan-favorite running back Cadillac Williams would return to the Bucs.
But apparently in a move that proves Bucs rock star general manger Mark Dominik is not afraid to turn a page, Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times has Twittered that Chris Mortensen has word that Williams is finalizing a deal with St. Louis.
@NFLSTROUD Cadillac Williams finalizing deal with RAMS today, per Chris Mortensen, ESPN.
And so, if it happens, the Cadillac Williams era is over in Tampa Bay.
Joe hopes the much-heralded (by Dominik) Kregg Lumpkin, who Ted Thompson and the running back-poor Green Bay Packers let walk — is up to the task of replacing Cadillac.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:52 am
Damn. I understand going young. But the inexperience may not do so well against the UBer Talented Saints and Falcons.
Both of those took some big steps to be better from last season.
Good Luck Caddy, You should have stayed a Buc !!
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:53 am
Still makes me sad… but I know (hope) managment knows what they are doing. Sentimenal favorite for me!
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:53 am
I will never forget his first four games and (unfortunately) his “ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME???” coming through the mic after he blew out his second knee.
Best of luck to Caddy on his new team. He has always been a class act.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:57 am
D*mn. That man was an inspiration on and off the field. It feels just like when we lost Warrick Dunn. What is it with us and RB’s? Best of luck Caddy! May your engine run true and clean except when facing the Bucs.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:57 am
Man that’s too bad! He was a great player for the Buc’s. I guess the problem is that they need to get these young guys on the field to see what they have or don’t have.
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:59 am
The Rams also signed Jerrious Norwood (Falcons), so I hope Caddy gets a shot. Anyway, I wish him well!
August 3rd, 2011 at 10:59 am
Love Caddy and wish him well but before everyone starts to panic lets remember we still have a 7 year vet back there named Earnest Graham who when healthy is also a very good 3rd down back.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:00 am
I’ve gone through a torn pattelar tendon and broken knee cap…the rehab is grueling so MAJOR kudos to Caddie for doing it not once, but twice.
Really going to miss him but hopefully he thrives behind Jackson in St Louis.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:00 am
Gonna be a sad day when it’s official. Love me some Caddy. Might have to rock his jersey today :/
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:06 am
Well Mr. Lumpkin the pressures on Kid … Cadillac barely ever fumbled .. and was all heart and soul. Good Luck
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:08 am
Oh wait Mr. Lumpkin isnt a kid .. My bad he’s 27 .. I guess i glimpsed at his career numbers and thought he was a rookie.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:12 am
I know it is sacrilege to speak of the Anointed One like this, , but today I hate you, Mark Dominik.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:16 am
Well…yet another prediction come true but it still doesn’t make it easy to hear. I will miss Caddy. A lot. Now that it’s happened, I’m making a couple predictions:
ALLEN BRADFORD or DANIEL HARDY
Most likely Allen Bradford will make the team and be the compliment to Blount…barring a free agent signing of some sort.
Daniel Hardy will not make a good tight end…but he may step into a halfback role at some point in the future. He might be placed on the Practice Squad for a year first though.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:19 am
Hopefully he “works his balls off” in St. lou.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:20 am
Caddy was a perfect third down back and change-of-pace guy but as was strikingly proven last year, running backs are a dime a dozen. Quality running backs can be picked up off the scrap heap.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:29 am
Ditto, to all above! Caddy, you da man, still! Good luck!
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:29 am
Sad day. He WAS an inspiration and a team leader. He did what was necessary to win, running or blocking and certainly working hard every day as a Buccaneer.
Personally I’m sorry this happened. I find it hard to believe it was about money though. Could the coaches know something about our other options at RB that we do not?
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:31 am
Damn … now I’m going to have to get a new Bucs Jersey.
Best of luck to you Caddy!
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:40 am
Thanks for everything, Caddy. …including signing my leather cadillac owner’s manual at that golf event a few years back. You’re all class.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:42 am
And I was just watching Bucs vs. Bills week 2 in his rookie year. Man was it nice to see…
New jersey time…my hand was forced…maybe a orange Josh freeman one…
GO BUCS!
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:44 am
Could we have kept him, yeah, should we have, no. We need to see where our kids are and we can’t do that with Caddy taking a roster spot for what amounts to 10 plays a game. We are a team based on youth and sometimes you have to make those decisions you don’t want to. If this was New England, would anyone be questioning the move, or lack there of?
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:45 am
Horrible! Who the hell is going to block for Freeman and help Blount out at RB?!?
Sad day, I agree. Cadillac really was a different player in the 2nd half of the season when he had a lesser role. As Joe pointed out yesterday or someother time, his YPC during that span was 6.4 yds and he had also been pretty durable since his 08 injury.
Tell me, where is the veteran leadership on the team?! We just lost two of our biggest leaders in Ruud and Cadillac this offseason. It’s pretty much just Barber now. Winslow and Freeman too, but as far as Bucs that have been here a long time, Barber is the only one left.
I hope they have a plan to pick either Noel Devine or Ahmad Bradshaw because Cadillac’s departure only leaves us with Blount and Bradford. I’m not counting Kregg Lumpkin. The running back we should’ve cut is Graham, as his talents aren’t even properly utilized on the team anymore.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:50 am
Damn!! I hope we match the offer (that is if it’s one year deal). Wish you the very best in St. Louis Caddy, even playing against us as long as we win though. He will truly be missed.
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:51 am
Just like Dunn! Big mistake
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I think we have hit the point where sacrificing experience and leadership for youth is gonna get us. Its like you keep telling you want the barber to trim just a bit more off … but then you have to cut a bit extra to balance off the other side. Then you keepo cutting to make it look right At the end your a** is bald.
Maybe thats a bad comparison ??
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:06 pm
@ Patrick
Noel Devine and Ahmad Bradshaw have both been signed already. The Eagles scooped up Devine in the first couple of days of free agency, and the Giants re-signed Bradshaw.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:11 pm
The Eagles already cut Devine…..he’s available unless he’s been picked up again by some other team.
Off topic……but we need to sign Lofa Tatupu to our defense. I just can’t feel comfortable about next year by looking at our linebackers…. Hayward, Foster, Black, and Hayes.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Graham can pick up the blitz better than anyone on the team. I mean, he was our #1 FB on the depth chart last yr.
But is he threat to catch it out of the backfield like Caddy?
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:13 pm
@RIs_Buc He holds the franchise record for receptions in a game. So yeah, I think we’ll be okay there.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:13 pm
@ Big Marlon
Noel is no longer with the Eagles. He left the team a few days after signing with them presumably because he would have been burried on the depth chart.
So to my knowledge, Noel is available again.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:15 pm
“I mean, he was our #1 FB on the depth chart last yr.”
That’s not saying much. We didn’t have anyone else.
“But is he threat to catch it out of the backfield like Caddy?”
From what I remember, Caddy was a good receiver out of the backfield.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Name one vet that Dominik has let go and they have gone on too have a successful season…
I’ll wait…
The best FA, statistically, we’ve released has been D. Ward who complimented Arian Foster nicely last year.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:29 pm
Well, we know what Dominik thinks of Chucky and Allen’s draft picks…one by one…
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:37 pm
It’s hard to believe that Raheem and Dom were even on Gruden’s staff since they think the complete opposite of him
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Hire
Can you wait til after this season? I will let you know.
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Mikeck
Right? For every one he lets go, he re-signs another one! He did re-sign four of them this year! With our own FAs still out there, possibly more to come?
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:52 pm
For me, this is the first bad news on the Bucs’ free agency moves.
With Caddy gone, I think Dom needs to take a long look at Tiki Barber.
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Mark Dominik is true to form… “We are going to reward the guys who have been here”…. Yep, you let two guys who gave their heart and soul to this organization walk right out the door.
I cannot wait until all these young stars deals are up and they become free agents. The Glazerhouses will come up with some excuse to let them walk. There will be another young kid (translation: cheaper) behind them and the Glazers will come up with the same hogwash about blueprints and long term planning.
Glazers are the biggest con artists to blow through Tampa ever. They take all of our money and invest it in English soccer teams and shiny ego-boosting projects like a childrens museum with their name on it.
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:23 pm
COMEON DOM WHAT THE HELL!! CADDY WAS MY BOY AND GREAT IN THIRD DOWN SITUATIONS. THIS JUST PISSES ME OFF
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:26 pm
I dont get what the bucs are doing with this RB situation is there a plan to bring a undrafted rookie in!!
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Good luck Mr. Caddy.
Loved watching you play. A heart of a champion if there ever was one.
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Guys, have you not been reaqding the two Joes? Grahm has been running as a TB not a FB so far. The OC said if the season started today he would be the number two guy behind Blount. Also, all teams have to let guys go at times, it is just a fact of pro sports. Dom has been rewarding the up and coming young guys. We all love Caddy, but please get off your high horses. This is how football works.
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Trae…You must be young, or you became a Bucs fan in the mid 90’s.
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Booooooooo. Hiss.
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Now what do I do with my signed Caddy jersey…..I guess I’ll take it off the wall and wear it..or is it worth more now? Any ideas?
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Maybe there is a free agent in the Buc’s plans
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Dom dom dom dom dom
Dom be dooby
Come on go with me
Dom dom dom dom dom
Dom be dooby
Come on go with me
Dom dom dom dom dom
Dom be dooby
Come on go with me…………….
Ballad of the sheep……………..2011.
August 3rd, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Tiki Barber???? That is an interesting thought. Might be worth a look see tryout. Who knows? Hard to believe Tiki has enough left to be a dominant RB, but what the hell, I wouldn’t mind seeing Dom try him out and it would make Ronde happy.
August 3rd, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Like many coaches in the NFL that have ego’s, the kind of coach that will not adust to his talent. You have to adjust to their scheme. I hope Marky D isn’t falling into that trap, a victim on his success. This team was a bad call away from making the playoffs last year, it’s like he doesn’t even want free agency in the league. He’s going all in with his draft, I BELIEVE in Mark, I’m just hoping he realizes this team is closer than he might think.
We play the Saints and Falcons twice, if we go to the playoffs, we could play the Eagles, Packers and maybe Cowboys. Why not bring in Nnamdi and have the best secondary in the league? Why not bring in a WR, Benn is a question mark coming off a major injury? He’s putting EVERYTHING on these young players, it would be a miracle if EVERYONE worked out. But EVERYBODY wants to be the genius….
August 3rd, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Good luck, Cadillac. I hope you get more work in St Louis than your old team mate Kenneth Darby. They rarely use him and he isn’t very productive when they do.
I’m pretty sure Caddilac was hired to replace Darby anyways. He is definitely better than that guy.
August 3rd, 2011 at 3:31 pm
chargedcbh…No ofense, but I tend to think Dom knows where the team is a bit better than you do. Graham will most likely get the number 2 spot, since Olsen has already said he is in the lead right now. It appears they will not be using him as a FB. If for some reason they have to switch him to FB we have the new kid bradford. Caddy could only play the third down pass protection role. Graham brings more to the table. The sky is not falling.
August 3rd, 2011 at 3:38 pm
So the Saints pickup Darren Spoles and we let Caddy go??? Come on Dom saving the almight dollar is starting to get in the way of winning. I am sure Josh Freeman is not a happy man today. Who has his back on 3rd down??? Maybe Dom can find another rookie???? Come on man!!!
August 3rd, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Hire or anyone
Better questions is, Name me one FA that Dom signed that did not come back and bite him in the ass or wasn’t a waste of millions?
I think, he is gun shy of any FA signings, more than it just him wanting to stick with youth or just our guys.
August 3rd, 2011 at 4:16 pm
I can understand them picking Earnest over Cadi. I loved Cadi, but I feel the same about Graham. Graham had some real good plays last year in the few chances he was given. He’s a bruiser, very strong and I think he has dropped about 10 pounds as well. Cadi has more miles then Graham in less time. Cadi has 2 bionic knees and he has been lucky the last 2 years not to injure them again. “The Dom” may have been playing the odds that Cadi wouldn’t make it 3 years in a row without tearing one of them up again. We’ll see how it plays out, but it was probably a smart calculated decision like “The Dom” usually makes.
August 3rd, 2011 at 4:18 pm
Wow, just about a week to go, and first game. I’m stoked and don’t give a hoot about all the speculation. I think we will be awesomely awesome.
August 3rd, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Well McBuc was I talking about the RB’s? No
Before you reply please read what I wrote.
August 3rd, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Yeah McBuc, why would someone comment about RBs on a post about one? The nerve! LOL!
August 3rd, 2011 at 7:12 pm
OAR…LOL, I did read his post…Just figured he meant Cadi too…SoryyChargedCDH, but that does not change my mind in the fact that Dom know football and the Bucs and where the bucs are as a team better than you, me, OAR, Thomas, Joe, maybe even Capt Tim!
Oh, and OAR…Sean Jones! He has worked out pretty good.
August 4th, 2011 at 11:00 am
What a bunch of idiots….
August 4th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Charged…LOL…I am sure you are including me in that, but I have to agree with you on that one…
August 4th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Charged
Im sure youre quite the expert in idiots?
August 4th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
McBuc
Hey lookey there, you found one! Hope you didn’t break your shovel digging around! Seriously, you’re right and I cant think of any others.
August 5th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Between losing Ruud, the defensive leader, and Caddy, the Bucs could look a whole lot different. It’s a lot to ask Freeman to be the ONLY leader on the team. He will need some help rallying these young Bucco’s. Don’t agree with these 2 moves and time will tell if the “Rockstar” has all of the answers.