“There’s None Better In This League”
December 18th, 2012
Greg Schiano took quite a verbal thrashing from multiple fans on his radio show last night. Schiano was patient and understanding and let callers vent, but he put his foot down hard after hearing Mark Dominik bashing.
Mad props to the leader of the New Schiano Order for letting fans attack the state of the Bucs on his radio show last night on WDAE-AM 620. Greg Schiano manned up and didn’t have producers cut off callers, specifically two back-to-back angry diatribes that each lasted more than two minutes, and he handled them with class.
Joe hasn’t heard such fiery, in-your-face criticism since Joe listened to The Boomer Esiason Show in 1994, when Jets fans would scream at the quarterback mercilessly every Monday evening.
Schiano didn’t get defensive, except when it came to a shot fired at rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, who Schiano called the best GM in the business.
Caller Brian following his 2 minute and 5 second, uninterrupted verbal thrashing of Josh Freeman, playcalling and the general Bucs experience of the past few weeks: Don’t let that general manager get in the way. Cause I’m hoping he’s next to get outta here. He should have went behind Jon Gruden, really, but I guess they’re going to give him a little bit more longer. Because he ain’t done nothing since he been here. Nothin’.
Greg Schiano: Alright Brian, I appreciate that. You know I’m glad that you were going to lay back on this one (playfully sarcastic) because, man, if Jimmy hadn’t called before, you might have really laid into me. Look, I understand your frustration. Let me just get a couple of things straight. No. 1, at the very end there you made a comment about Mark Dominik. There’s none better in this league. He’s doing an incredible job. He’s been a huge, huge help to me since we’ve arrived. You look at the draft we just had. You look at what we did in free agency. Just give us a chance, OK. Again, I understand the frustration. I don’t want to downplay that at all. But don’t be so sure that we’re going to lose the next two like you said. Just give us a chance and let us go out and play it out. … I strongly believe in our football team and our coaching staff, and I strongly believe in what we do and how we do it and how we approach things. We’re going to bounce back. And we’re going to play good football. And, you know, like I said, go out this week and play the very, very best that we’re capable. I think that’s going to be something that our fans are going to enjoy seeing. I appreciate the passsion and how much you care. That’s what makes this place special.
Again, Joe has to give it up for the head coach for respecting and appreciating the fans’ passion — even when it’s presented negatively. And trust Joe, there was a load of negativity from these two callers.
As for Schiano’s love for Dominik, it’s not surprising. Dominik dropped three stunning draft picks in Schiano’s lap, and an elite wide receiver in free agency that made the entire offense better. As for the dreadful cornerback situation, clearly Schiano bought into the concept of Aqib Talib’s phony transformation as much as Dominik, so the head coach can’t knock the GM for what happened there.
December 18th, 2012 at 9:55 am
Does the Head Coach & QB HAVE to do radio shows????? Is it in their contract??? Otherwise…i would never do a radio show if i were those 2 guys
December 18th, 2012 at 9:58 am
I was listening and I think Schiano seemed to enjoy the haters
December 18th, 2012 at 9:59 am
If our players had the passion of the fans, we’d be in the playoff hunt right now
December 18th, 2012 at 10:24 am
“Excuse me my name’s spelled wrong.”
“Nothin personal but by the time I’m through with this is it really gonna matter.”
December 18th, 2012 at 10:27 am
What an embarrassing fanbase.
Go get a 2nd hobby d-bags.
December 18th, 2012 at 10:34 am
The best GM in the business sure has a lot of draft busts. Has he drafted a single pro bowler yet? The best in the business would have gotten us better corners. It has been clear for years now that our corner situation was bad.
December 18th, 2012 at 10:42 am
Best GM at drafting injury prone players. Dominik is far from a rockstar, maybe a one hit wonder, but far from the status Joe gives him.
December 18th, 2012 at 10:49 am
The guy picks a FA WR with the best stats on the market (not hard). How did his other 2 FA pick-ups go? … yeah I thought so.
By my count, in FIVE drafts, Dominik has drafted 4 legit starters (Clayborne, Freeman, Martin, David, and Foster). I’m leaving GMC off this list because he has YET to play a full season. He has ZERO Pro Bowls to his drafting credit. He passed on a CB to draft a SAFETY only to end up with CB depth issues (an AVERAGE safety could duplicate Barron’s production).
I agree with the caller. Dominik has been “mostly miss.” His “build through the draft” plan was an abject FAILURE for one reason: HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO DRAFT.
December 18th, 2012 at 10:51 am
I’m serious. You guys freaking out over the Bucs need a serious mental health evaluation.
Start a new hobby, bceause you have way too much time on your hands fretting and obessing over every single play.
Try brewing your own beer. That is an interesting hobby. It definitely will keep your mind occupied.
December 18th, 2012 at 11:02 am
It took the league about a year and some change to figure out Raheem, it seem it has taken 14 games to figure out the college coach… Just saying…
December 18th, 2012 at 11:04 am
@ Buc Fan 238
What would you like people to talk about on a website about the BUCCANEERS?! Forgive the fans for being upset for yet another second half of the season free fall! Feel free to post some positives after our 4 game losing streak knocking us out of playoff contention, and getting beat up by a struggling division rival….
December 18th, 2012 at 11:13 am
Joe,
Who does Schiano report to? Is Mark Dominic in charge of all football operations? Who is? Never been clear!
December 18th, 2012 at 11:19 am
@ buc fan #238
What do you expect people to be talking about on a football website??? knitting??? Get outta here!!
December 18th, 2012 at 11:22 am
i hope schiano gets a chance to sit down with tony dungy this offseason. they could probably share some nice stories about being written off on the basis of a partial season as a rookie head coach working with their coaches and rosters for the first time. the pieces are there. anybody who isn’t excited about the future of this team hasn’t been paying much attention. i find it hard to crucify the front office for not predicting drug suspensions to their starting corners or anticipating injuries to both pro bowl guards, and the improvements in individual play from last year speaks for itself.
December 18th, 2012 at 11:23 am
I don’t get the hate for Dominik at all. I really think he’s been a great GM.
At the very very least everyone should agree he’s much better then Bruce Allen.
December 18th, 2012 at 11:27 am
i think it’s fair to say the bucs gave up on the playoffs with the talib trade, and while 7-9 would be a disappointment in the front office i doubt it’s a surprise. i think it’s a move that will justify itself over the long term. we will gain 5-10 spots in every round of the draft and have a 4th rounder to work with, and i couldn’t see us getting out of the wildcard round with the injuries we have sustained. this is not harbaugh’s niners – the team has far less experience and pure talent and is in no way built to win significant things now
December 18th, 2012 at 11:54 am
I love how people just assume the Bucs gave up on the playoffs because they traded Talib. Yea thats exactly what happened because when Talib was here he fixed all our secondary issues and made us playoff worthy. Another thing that is funny to hear is “Dom has drafted 0 pro bowlers” but leave out the part that he’s only been here 4 years. Yes Pro bowls is how you can tell who a great GM is. You people have no common sense. Has Dom done a great job for us? No. But he is improving every year and I dont think he’s done a bad job either. I can tell you that his draft are far more exciting and hopeful than anyone elses I can remember. Has every one of his draft picks worked out? No. But show me a GM who has? Joe had an article earlier in the season comparing Doms picks to all the others GMs in the division and he has done just as good if not better than the rest of the GMs in our division. Dom Has brought talent here but we are still a work in progress. Dom is responsible for the Talent, nothing more. The on field work is Schiano’s job.
@Adam, Blaming Dominick for Nicks getting put on IR for the first time in his career is as equally dumb as blaming him for Wright’s adderall suspenion. You really think Dom is responsible for any of that? Lol. You cant predict injuries nor can you predict someones behavior. Any player in the NFL is susceptible to doing something stupid. All you can do is hope they live like a model citizen.
December 18th, 2012 at 11:56 am
Let’s go over Dominik’s draft record starting with 2009 to present:
Here is my breakdown. I hate to rate this years rookies, but for the sake of all the ‘Dominik must go’ talk, I’ve put them into groups with the other players selected in the years past. Personally, I feel that Mark Barron is a good pick right now and could be a Jackpot pick down the road, but to be fair, I placed him in the ‘To Be Determined’ category, since so many people are up in arms over a rookie safety learning the game (who was one of the few bright spots in the 41-0 beatdown last week).
JACKPOT: Doug Martin, Lavonte David
GOOD PICKS: Josh Freeman, Roy Miller, EJ Biggers, Sammie Stroughter, Gerald McCoy, Mike Williams, Cody Grimm, Dekoda Watson, Erik Lorig, Adrian Clayborn, Da’Quan Bowers, Mason Foster, Ahmad Black, Anthony Gaitor
WASTED PICKS: Kyle Moore, Xaiver Fulton, Brian Price, Arrelious Benn, Myron Lewis, Brent Bowden, Luke Stocker, Allen Bradford, Daniel Hardy, Najee Goode, Keith Tandy, Michael Smith, Drake Dunsmore
TO BE DETERMINED: Mark Barron
TRADES: 2nd round pick for Kellen Winslow, 7th round pick for Sean Mahan
So looking at the breakdown, I see that Mark Dominik has success in finding players that can produce for the team in the later rounds of the draft. Looking at his ‘Good Picks’ list, I see Biggers, Stroughter, Grimm, Watson, Lorig, and Gaitor as players unearthed by Dom in the 6th and 7th rounds, and while none of them are stars, all of them are (or were) roleplayers to a certain extent. Yeah, we rag on Biggers a lot, but for a late round pick he’s done a lot more than expected placed in some no win situations covering legit superstar number one wideouts. Yes, he gets burned quite a bit, but read the previous sentence again; he’s covering legit superstar number one wideouts from time to time, when he should really be in the nickel providing depth.
Three out of five of Dom’s first round picks fall in the ‘Good’ category, whatever or not the haters want to acknowledge it. Freeman was having his best year ever (and he had a fantastic 2010 season) until his recent slide. He has accuracy and consistency issues, but he’s only 24 and has one more year on his contract. Next season will be the make or break year. If we see the Freeman of November or of 2010, he moves up to Jackpot pick (which is star player status), if we see 2011 Josh, or the Josh of December, and he walks away for nothing after next season, he has to be placed in the ‘Wasted Pick’ category, and that really will make or break Mark Dominik in my opinion. You really can’t afford to miss on a first round quarterback, so we have a lot riding on the line in the next 12-14 months. Dominik also landed a great player in the 4th round; Mike Williams (steal) and fortified the defense with Bowers and Foster in the 2nd and 3rd round, and both have played good football.
Over in the wasted pick section, we have a smattering of second, third and fourth round picks and this concerns me some. For all the work Dom does in the later rounds of the draft (5-7), he has some notable misses in rounds 2 and 3, highlighted by the failures of Brian Price and Myron Lewis. Yes, Dom would steal Mike Williams a round later, but those two picks proved to be beyond terrible and it definitely removes some of that ‘rock star’ luster.
Trade wise, the 2nd for Winslow worked out well for a couple seasons before K2 imploded in 2011, contributing mightily to Freeman’s free fall and DJ’ing his way right out of the league. I’m not knocking Dom on the trade, though. Winslow was a great security blanket for Freeman early on, but Josh became too dependent on him and Kellen’s pride got in the way of his diminishing abilities. The Mahan trade was a 7th round pick and was for depth purposes, so I’m not going to take away points on that front.
Finally, the Jackpot players. I know it might be too soon for some to give a rating on the rookies, which is why I have Mark Barron as the only ‘To Be Determined’ player even though I believe he will justify his draft status. Having said that, Mark Dominik hit the jackpot and in landing Doug Martin and Lavonte David lived up to the rock star billing (at least for one draft). Martin is going to be a star, heck, I’d argue that he is a star right now. Maybe he only had 18 yards on 6 carries last week, but the kid is the complete package. I think he’ll prove to be the best RB of a good class that includes Trent Richardson and Alfred Morris, and he gives the Bucs a versatile weapon that they haven’t had at their disposal since Warrick Dunn. Lavonte David is already the leader of the Bucs defense, and while I won’t start mentioning him in the same breath as Derrick Brooks (not yet, at least), this kid is a stud and has helped to fortify the run defense just as much as the emergence of Gerald McCoy. I was pining for David for about as long as Joe was, loved this kid coming out of college, and really, when you think about it, Dom managed to land three first round players in one draft, the most recent draft, and along with a good free agent class (V-Jax is a star and Nicks is a beast when healthy), I don’t want this man going anywhere just yet, and neither should the rest of us Buccaneer fans.
December 18th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Congrats greg witul on the LONGEST post in JBF history. Unfortunately, my ADD doesn’t allow me to read anything near that lengthy. I stopped when I got to EJ Biggers as a “good” pick.
December 18th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Jesus Greg, start your own blog or something
December 18th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
@lightningbuc read the post all the way through before knocking it. For where Dominik drafted EJ Biggers (7th round) and what he’s been assigned to do (at times cover the best receivers on the team, which is ridiculous when you really think about it), he’s a good pick. 7th round picks are usually camp fodder. Yeah, sometimes you can find a productive player or even a star like Colston of the New Orleans Saints, but for EJ Biggers to start as many games as he did has to qualify the 7th round pick as a ‘good pick’. I didn’t want to have a thousand different categories when ranking the picks, so I placed the guys that have made it on the field as productive players, spot starters or full-time starters as ‘good picks’ and that is more than fair.
Now, playing devils advocate, you could turn around and question why it took Mark Dominik as long as it did to try to replace Biggers in the starting lineup. We had Ronde playing at corner until this year, and Talib was entrenched in the starting spot when he wasn’t hurt (and before he was traded). I think Dominik missed badly on Eric Wright (Eli pick six notwithstanding) and will have to make up for it this offseason, but I think he’ll cut Wright, replace him with another free agent signing and draft a corner in the first two rounds, and that will make a world of difference for this defense if he hits on the signing/draft pick, and I’m confident that he’ll at least hit on one of those and that will really help the team.
December 18th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
@thegregwitul
I agree with some of your post but how can you list 4 rookies this year as wasted picks when they havent even been on the field for the most part? I would also list Stocker as a “To be determined” as well. He has not proven completely useless. But then you say Dekota watson is a good pick but he hasent really done anything either other than a few splash plays here and there. I think your lists need to be tweaked a little bit.
December 18th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Amen Witful, I agree that Dom is getting better at his craft every year. Why would we get rid of him now that he is getting his stride. I look at him like a good player that struggled his first couple of seasons to catch up to the speed of the NFL. It’s not like he was a GM somewhere else that came here and layed an egg. He was brought up from within in Tampa. He has definitely shown growth. He also had his hands tied for the first couple of years on FA money. Now that the Glazers are letting him spend a little, the team is definitly getting stronger. Anybody who thinks the Bucs are going to become the Patriots overnight needs to put the bottle down. It’s never been easy to be a Bucs fan, but that is who we are. If you want to follow a team that is perenial favorite, follow Talib to Boston. For the rest of us who love the Bucs, calm down a bit and let this group of coaches and front office build a team that we can all be proud of.
December 18th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
A truly bad GM would’ve guaranteed most of Eric Wright’s contract. A good GM would’ve done exactly what Dom did and had a clause to dump him without much financial loss. A truly Great GM would’ve done everything they could to get Brandon Carr.
December 18th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
Dom has not been awesome, or the best in football.
Sorry, but Dom is in the bottom tier of GM’s in NFL.
No probowlers in his tenure, and several signings that were TERRIBLE to boot.
Dom needs to open the checkbook and cut some dead weight this offseason. The Bucs are a ways from contention, and at the minimum, one more offseason overhaul like last year is necessary.
Dom better cut Eric Wright and sign some TOP TALENT FA CB’s. No BSing around, none of this “we can build through the draft”… Horse manure! Look at the Bucs entire 2009 draft, not a single good player.
Our FA punter sucks one year after signing him. What a crock, the owners should be ashamed, and the GM needs to go. Bring in Andrew Friedman from the Rays, he would run the Bucs much better.
December 18th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@ Nick,
A “good GM” would’ve not even kicked the tires on Eric Wright, and just would’ve shelled out some clams to Cortland Finnegan. That is what a “good GM” would do….
December 18th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Wow….Greg must be one of those guys that wears a Bucs jersey to work 5 days a week. Love his passion/insanity.
I heard the two callers……they were calling from their free Obabafones I think and they both need to loosen up a little. This team was only predicted to win 4 or 5 games, they have won 6 and nearly won 2 or 3 more.Better days ahead and let’s get a good draft position now…what the hell.
Breathe people….breathe.
December 18th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
@SILENCETHECRITICS
“You’re right, you can’ t predict someone’s behavior….”
~Signed, Lindsay Lohan
December 18th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
just because you scream and yell doesn’t make you passionate. really tough hiding behind a keyboard passing judgement on stuff you don’t know or understand. most idiotic/ignorant fanbase.
December 18th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
This really is the most ignorant fan base in the NFL. When are you morons going to get it through your head that the ‘Pro Bowl’ is a friggin’ joke??!? It’s nothing more than a popularity contest. I don’t care if he drafted them or not, Dom brought two pro bowlers to the team last year in V-Jax and Nicks. He drafted two players who have had a pro bowl season (in my opinion) in LaVonte David and Doug Martin. Oh, but I guess if they didn’t win the popularity contest and miss out then their stats for the season don’t matter?? You idiots…
Several of the NFL pundits picked GMC as their DT from the NFC if they had to pick a pro bowl DT. They have the common sense to realize that great play doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. “Oh, but he doesn’t have double digit sacks so how can he be good????” That’s all the uninformed cry baby fans here look at.
You guys change opinions as often as babies change diapers. If we win 5 out of six Schiano is a genius but we lose four straight and even though two of them were on last second plays….we just suck like 2011. All of you act like you could coach so much better than the current staff but can you imagine how lousy you would be as coaches??? You are so emotionally involved with the Bucs performance and take it so personally that you go on an emotional roller coaster ride all season long. We’re great!… We suck! We’re great!…. We suck!… “Wow! What a great draft Dom!” (3/4 of the way through the season later) “Dom has to go! He hasn’t drafted any pro bowlers! Wahhh! Wahhh!” Every time I visit this site I feel like I need a paper towel to wipe up all the baby tears flowing off of the posts…
December 18th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
” It’s never been easy to be a Bucs fan, but that is who we are. If you want to follow a team that is perenial favorite, follow Talib to Boston. ”
Why not strive for excellence? Why not be the perennial favorite?
We will soon see the quality of our coaching and GM by how they handle the Josh Freeman situation. Do they extend him and lock in mediocrity for the next 5 years? Do they send him to Jeff Carlson’s QB school to work on his mechanics? Do they dumb down the offense so he can understand what is happening? Do they capitalize on his existing value and trade him for a top pick? Do they draft a real franchise QB? Can they sign LGB and send him and the 4th round draft pick they got for Talib back to NE in exchange for Ryan Mallett?
These answers are coming soon and they will reveal exactly what the Bucs have in the front office.
December 19th, 2012 at 12:56 am
@thegregwitul………LMAO you think EJ Biggers was a “good pick”? Think again!