“It Still Goes Back To 5”
March 18th, 2013
You may have heard Joe yesterday on WHFS-FM 98.7 talk about the Bucs and the favorite subject of seemingly all Bucs fans, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.
The issue of what ransom Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik must cough up in order to land Revis is concerning.
Joe is against giving up a first-round pick for two reasons: There’s not a doctor on the face of this earth that can tell Joe if Revis, after an ACL surgery, can run, cut, jump, stop on a dime and start, and explode the way he used to — repeatedly through a season. Any doctor who can predict otherwise is, in reality, a witch doctor.
Second, Joe does not believe the Bucs are one all-star cornerback away from a Super Bowl. Shoot, we’re talking about a team with a losing record that just lost three of its starting front-seven. Have they even been replaced yet?
This is the issue Tampa Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly shares. He believes, as always, it all goes back to No. 5, and even Fennelly is confused by that position.
Is this a Super Bowl quarterback — even a playoff quarterback? It’s a question with an answer that changes with Freeman’s ups and downs. We’ve seen him dress up as Michael Jackson. Cool. Great. Now, can he pretend to be Joe Flacco? I’m not so sure.
This is a bulls-eye by Fennelly. If the Bucs had a top-tier quarterback, with the weapons Freeman has, heck, Joe would probably pull the trigger on a first-round pick for (a healthy) Revis.
But Joe would sure like to see the Bucs in the playoffs first before tossing out first-round draft picks for guys coming off of ACL surgery who have a habit of holding out and squeezing a front office for more cash.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:13 am
Well, one thing is for sure, Freeman must put up or shut up this year.
Schiano will survive another losing season, but I don’t think Dominik will.
One has to wonder IF they will bench Freeman if he falters next season, as desperate as they are to win.
He has too good of a line, and receivers, plus a stud running back. There will be no more excuses for Freeman.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:25 am
Speaking of #5…has there been any chatter on us signing a “competitive QB” such as Ryan Fitzpatrick or Kevin Kolb (McNulty’s guy)? These guys might not be all that bad now that they would have a decent OL to protect them.
Plus they would know they have a real shot at being our starting QB next year.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:28 am
But if Freeman was a Pro Bowler we possibly could be a Super Bowl team by adding Revis. Not a lot of other holes on this team. If there were a stud QB sitting at 13, it would be worth holding on to the 1st rounder. But there isn’t. Maybe adding a DE in the 1st helps but that doesn’t make is a Super Bowl contender either. As you state it rests on 5. So if he somehow steps or up this year we would be kicking ourselves for not rolling the dice on Revis. May be worth the gamble.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:31 am
#5 help lead us to a top 9 offense. Sounds like we need to address the defense more like CB’s or some Pass Rush. I would like a top 15 defense this year.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:51 am
This article hits on the point thats been bugging me about the potential Revis trade. Revis is not the last missing piece to contend for a championship. In fact, the team has more holes today than they had a week ago. Revis can’t play DE, DT, both corners and nickel, all on the same play. The resources it will take to get Revis would be better spent on filling holes on the defensive line and secondary. Although, it appears the Bucs brain trust is content with putting all the eggs in the Revis basket.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:54 am
If we examine Dominick’s track record with first, second or even third round picks, which is more dicey a proven shutdown corner coming off a knee injury or a QB in his 4th year and still unsure of what he will become, 3 defensive linemen who have played approximately half of their combined seasons, or a running back who has all the buzz of Cadillac Williams. I have more faith in a draft pick now that Schiano is calling the shots but even though we may get a quality player, it may not be a cornerback, particularly a shut down corner.
If you haven’t noticed, the Bucs stacked their team on offense in an attempt to mask Freeman’s inaccuracies (great line = more time to pass, ground game = less pressure on Freeman, athletic WR = playmakers to cover up inaccuracies). Dominick has done everything possible to salvage his “franchise pick”, now that Schiano has seen him upclose, the shift is now to create a high pressure, shutdown defense aka Schiano Ball aka Dungy Ball on Steroids. The goal now is to keep the game low scoring and create field position opportunities but most importantly, minimize Freeman’s to a game manager, that’s all they need him to be.
March 18th, 2013 at 10:58 am
He had plenty of tools to work with this year. The offensive line is no excuse. He misses wide open receivers consistently. He had 4g’s worth of yardage off his arm this season. Can you imagine what it would have been if his completion rate would have been higher than 54.8. That’s his worst since his rookie year. I did see dropped passes but I also saw teammates making some circus catches to get the completion. I want to see him succeed for many reasons. I’m just not sure he has the grey matter to do it. I like the kid. He’s a class act. Mature for his age. Well spoken. Time will tell but this year is for sure the decision year due to the end of his contract.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:05 am
25 years old. The only thing that needs to improve is his decision making. I think most of us improved in that category from 25 to 30. His numbers are very comparable to Flacco as is their playing style. And Baltimore was ready to run Flacco out on a rail last year…
March 18th, 2013 at 11:05 am
25 years old. The only thing that needs to improve is his decision making. I think most of us improved in that category from 25 to 30. His numbers are very comparable to Flacco as is their playing style. And Baltimore was ready to run Flacco out on a rail last year…
March 18th, 2013 at 11:06 am
Mark D. had a 5 year plan to win the SuperBowl. This or next year is #5
March 18th, 2013 at 11:06 am
With each passing game (56 to this point) I become more and more convinced that good ole #5 is far more of a hindrance to the Bucs than an asset…
If their is any silver lining it is that the Bucs should be in a good position for a better Qb to come in and really excel… Now if the Bucs could just find that guy who can really QB, HOPE for the Buc’s near-future can be restored!
March 18th, 2013 at 11:06 am
I think the offense is still one weapon away fron being able to say, “..an offense with all of those weapons…” VJax is a Pro Bowl, even All-Pro caliber WR, Mike Wiliiams is a very good #2, Doug Martin is fantastic and good in the passing game… but we do need one more good target. TE, slot WR, somebody to threat the middle of the field would make this offense known for its weaponry. Two good WRs and a RB are hardly: Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Novacek, Harper, etc, or Young, Rice, Taylor, Craig, Jones, etc, Warner, Faulk, Holt, Bruce, Hakim, Proehl, etc.
We’ve got good weapons, but one more away from being anywhere close to great.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:10 am
At his age, Freeman is light years ahead of where: Eli, Alex Smith, Jeff Garcia, Kurt Warner, Rich Gannon, and even Brett Favre were at the same age.
He’s young, had a ton of offensive coordinators. Give him this season…and if the stinks, then run him out of town… if he does well, be thankful that the Bucs were more patient than the tons of Buc fans out there that don’t realize that good QBs still often need time to develop.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:34 am
Honestly how many weapons does freeman need? Underwood was solid as a 3wr. Williams and Jackson were a top 10 duo. Martin was a beast.
Regardless of what we do to improve the defense #5 kept putting them in bad positions last year.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:35 am
Excellent point on Eli. Eli’s stats at 25: 57.7% 3,244yds 24/18 77.0 Rat.
Freeman’s: 54.8 4,065 27/17 81.6
March 18th, 2013 at 11:43 am
So does anyone think our Defense is close to the Eli Manning Giants Defense was when Eli was 25? Please, this Offense is by far the most talented we have had…except for MAYBE the SB year. The O line and Martin are certainly so, and I’d take Jackson and Williams over Key and McCardell. It has to be much better than our Defense, for the next couple of years at the least…meaning that Josh needs to grow up fast.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:45 am
The only point I want to say is that can we really say that Freeman has as many weapons as some of the top caliber QBs in the league. I don’t think we can honestly. Bc to say that you would be lying. Underwood wouldn’t be a even 3 Wr on all of the top passing teams. You know it I know it. Dallas Clark is old, slow and a bit washed up. So my point being Freeman has a pretty solid Oline, when they aren’t injured, but lacks real game change ability at WR. We have two amazing top guys, but there is hardly any depth after Jackson and Williams. Green Bay runs used to run with greg jennings, randle cobb, finley, jordy nelson, james jones I mean can anyone without looking it up tell me who the rest of the WRs are on the bucs? they sure as hell dont look the Packers in that sense I promise you that. I only throw that bit in there because I get tired of reading that Rogers would love to have all the weapons Freeman has. That is just untrue.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:47 am
Rodgers elevates the play of his Wrs. In Tampa it’s vise versa.
March 18th, 2013 at 11:49 am
Easy to make the QB a scapegoat. Enough of the Freeman talk; when you trot out one of the worst pass defenses in NFL history, that’s where the conversation must start and end. They cost the Bucs way more games than Freeman did. Getting to the playoffs doesn’t hinge upon fixing Freeman.
March 18th, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Brady and Rodgers had to deal with their teams having the two worst secondaries and worst defenses in 2011, just saying…
March 18th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
No one has the WR’s the Packers have….but their O line is not nearly as talented as ours, nor nearly as expensive. It is just that Rogers is too cagey to get caught flat footed and dumps the ball fast or makes time and space with his feet to deliver the ball.
And GB’s RB’s have been bad. Like Bucfan said…Rogers makes his WR’s look good…the know that if they are open, he can and will deliver the ball. And it will be on target.
March 18th, 2013 at 3:45 pm
i got an idea. how about we include freeman and sanchez swap as part of the trade
then both sides would be very estatic. lol
March 18th, 2013 at 6:20 pm
Thank God for Joe! Glad to know there is still one guy reading the local sports hacks.