Official Buccaneers Free Agency Analysis
February 7th, 2012
Joe realizes there are throngs of conspiracy aficionados out there convinced that Team Glazer and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik would rather be waterboarded than aggressively shop for free agents.
So with those tin-foil hat types in mind, Joe is calling attention to an in-depth look at NFC South free agency that published yesterday on Buccaneers.com. The 1000+ word piece is extremely well done, and focuses on who might stay or go from the Saints, Panthers and Falcons. Here’s a snippet:
DeCoud is another starter on the Atlanta defense who needs a new contract, and also another member of the Falcons’ 2008 draft class. That group also included Douglass and Biermann with later picks, and the ability of all four of those draftees to carve out important roles is partially why the team’s pending free agent class has so many prominent names. DeCoud is coming off a career-best four-interception season but both he and Sanders, a part-time starter the last three years, are free agents. The Falcons may have to choose between them, or they could dip into what appears to be a fairly deep pool of free agent safeties this year.
Like the Saints (see below), the Falcons have two wide receivers both hitting free agency at the same time, though both are reserves behind entrenched starters Roddy White and Julio Jones. Both Douglas and Weems hold value for the Falcons, but in different ways. Douglas has improved his catch and yardage totals each of the last two years after missing 2009 due to injury, and last season he was a productive third receiver with 39 receptions for 498 yards. Weems hasn’t figured much into the passing game in his four seasons in Atlanta but is one of the league’s more dangerous punt and kickoff return men, and has been to the Pro Bowl. It might be difficult for the Falcons to get both of them back, particularly if they go hard after the likes of Grimes, Lofton, Gonzalez and Abraham.
Again, Joe found the piece to be excellent reading. (As for Weems, if the Bucs aren’t going to use Micheal Spurlock, and Preston Parker has fumbling issues, then Weems would be an exciting pickup.)
As for the Buccaneers’ official website exciting fans about free agency and offering a great education on the NFL’s version of March Madness, Joe wonders how some Bucs fans will interpret that.
February 7th, 2012 at 11:32 am
Fans will interpret it in a variety of ways.
The Glazers are cheap, no one wants to join the Bucs coaching staff, Glazerhouse, we should have offered Jeff Fisher $10 million per year, Dominik is clueless and a puppet, Sproles should have been signed (even though he took less to play with Brees and also has a relative on the team in Courtney Roby), it was a mistake to fire Gruden since it’s the Glazers who are holding this team back, give Schiano a chance, Raheem was setup to fail with the ‘Youth’ plan and lack of free agent spending, Dominik is a ‘Rock Star’, why didn’t we bring in Marty?, Let’s add Billick as OC and Del Rio as DC primarily because I recognize their names, College coaches scare me, bring in Butch Davis, I’m Yungry, Dominik unearths gems in the second draft, Dominik can’t draft, and let’s sign every top free agent to hit the market, regardless of their age and ability to play in our system, it’s all about names! Patience.
February 7th, 2012 at 11:37 am
I’m excited to hear that the Buc have commited to be active in free agency this year. The question now becomes – what will the Bucs have to offer in the way of prestige, potential to get a ring, work with outstanding coaching staff, committed ownership, etc.? And If there are no good answers there, will the Bucs have to overpay to attract top-level talent?
February 7th, 2012 at 11:37 am
@JasonLaCanfora: Bucs continue to struggle to get staff together – this time GB blocks TE coach Ben McAdoo from interviewing for OC job.
What comes around goes around.
February 7th, 2012 at 11:40 am
We need to get some TOP tier FA’s….
No DeCoud, no Manningham.
Yes: CB Brandon Carr, and WR Dwayne Bowe.
February 7th, 2012 at 11:41 am
Guys keep in mind the key word in Free Agent. Free. Free to say no. Who’s gonna want to come here? We don’t have any friggin’ coaches!
February 7th, 2012 at 11:43 am
“And If there are no good answers there, will the Bucs have to overpay to attract top-level talent?”
There’s not a question in my mind that this will be the case. We are quickly becoming an afterthought in the NFL.
February 7th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Call me a “conspiracy aficionado,” or just somebody who looks at factual evidence and draws an educated conclusion. Which team has spent the least in payroll over the last 5 years? Talk free agency all you want, Glazers won’t do anything until they are forced by the new CBA to spend in 2013.
For the time being, let’s see if we can even get a second asst coach to come here. Go Rays!
February 7th, 2012 at 11:45 am
And these are the Falcons’ worst players. We should have a scrap heap category for Free agents. These guys are mid-level, just-above-the-50-feet- of-crap category
February 7th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Stovall cost us the playoffs and Raheem his job. F.U. Stovall.
February 7th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Nice writing, lets see some freakin action.
February 7th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
We are having to start from the bottom like before. No one will want to come here until we start putting a winning product on the field.
When we start getting respect again. When we start winngin against our own division. When we start to show we wont go down without a bloody fight. When we start showing other teams they cant come here and bully us around. When we start showing how our D will dominate the opposition.
Until then, we are in for a long year of more rebuilding. We have lost allot of credibility this past year and we will need to work hard to get that back.
February 7th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Cmon now, the Flacons were in shambles, Smith took over and have been in playoffs every year.
these franchises can be turned around on a dime (San Fran) if you make some smart decisions.
Screw the five year plans. By the time five years goes by ya gotta rebuild your team anyhow.
Surely after this fourth year of drafting by the rock we will have the talent to compete.
Mckay got us to NFC Championship game in fourth year of the dang franchise.
Anything short of a wild card and we need a new rockstar
February 7th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Ugh, gonna be so annoying to see people not STFU about free agency for the next few months….Add 2 or 3 players and DRAFT WELL.