Time To Turn Page On Brent Grimes
March 26th, 2013
Many Bucs fans are just slightly less angered than a hornet whose nest was destroyed at the thought of the Bucs not upgrading the cornerback slot prior to the draft.
Yes, the Bucs may or may not trade for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Yes, the Bucs may or may not draft a cornerback in the first or second round. This doesn’t matter to hyper, frustrated if not impatient Bucs fans who demanding Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik sign someone, anyone, even though they may not be an upgrade in any way to current projected starters Danny Gorrer and Eric Wright.
These same fans want a signing like yesterday.
But it likely won’t be Brent Grimes, claims Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. It seems Dominik (and thus far, 31 other teams) have turned their nose up on Grimes.
@NFLSTROUD: Doesn’t look as though CB Brent Grimes is going to be a Buccaneer, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. Miami or Cleve?
Based on why Dominik let sack leader Michael Bennett walk (he’s damaged goods), Joe believes there is a reason Dominik hasn’t made a move for a corner yet. Given there are so many corners walking the streets right now begging for a contract, it seems to reinforce whatever motivation (or lack thereof) Dominik has to signing a corner.
If Jets general manager John Idzik doesn’t get off his throne, Dominik’s liable to draft a corner in the first and second rounds and his laughing at Idzik would be heard all the way to Bradenton.
March 26th, 2013 at 8:12 am
I fully expect 2 CBs within the first 3 rounds with the other a DL.
Trufant, we’re coming for you.
March 26th, 2013 at 8:16 am
There really is no need to sign any of the FA CBs, we are in a position to draft any CB in the draft, the only one we may not have a shot at unless we trade up into the top 10 is Milliner, all the others will still be on the board at 13, I say we take X.Rhodes, trade for Revis come June 1 [Yes, it’s a very important date for NFL financials, the Jets are able to spread his cap hit over the next season if they wait to trade him], boom we’ll have one of the best sets of DBs in the league with Barron, Goldson, Revis and Rhodes, plus Ronde on the field in nickel/dime. Added plus is the education guys like Johnson and Gorrer will get from those in front of them.
March 26th, 2013 at 8:25 am
I believe Revis deal may basically be done and Bucs are letting time pass so Revis can hit a certain checkpoint in rehab before signing him
March 26th, 2013 at 8:30 am
How many yards away were we again from breaking the record for passing yards allowed? God I hope Dom knows what he is doing.
March 26th, 2013 at 8:38 am
Didn’t Clev make a statement yesterday that they had ZERO interest in Grimes? I think it was quoted in their local rag.
Stroud needs to check his sources more frequently (you know, those other agencies that report before he does and he doesn’t want to give them credit?).
March 26th, 2013 at 8:40 am
Frustrated? Yes. Impatient for someone to do their job? I don’t think so. All right, maybe there is a valid reason not to sign Brent Grimes. So what about Sean Smith? Derek Cox? Maybe Car Williams? Are you telling me we are going to draft any better in the second or third rounds? That is ridiculous.
March 26th, 2013 at 8:42 am
even if we get revis or not…. im thinking about a trade up with the titans…. they want chance warmack and maybe the bucs want Xavier Rhodes and we need to get over Miami
March 26th, 2013 at 8:42 am
@flmike The June 1 date means nothing. Bucs Nation did a VERY detailed explanation on it if you’re interested.
March 26th, 2013 at 8:46 am
@Fatmosh – In that Bucs Nation piece, you and the author accepted the premise that the Jets don’t care about winning in 2013. All Joe can say is that very credible NFL people have explained to Joe exactly why the June 1 deadline is relevant.
March 26th, 2013 at 9:06 am
While I trust Dominick, I think not using the leverage of Grimes injury is being missed. This is a chance to give a player a 1 or 2 yr deal that is team friendly. Even with a 1 yr deal and if he is teamed up with Revis he might not want to leave. It is worth a shot.
March 26th, 2013 at 9:08 am
@Harry well stated. The idea that one or two rookie cb are going to out play grimes cox or smith is crazy. Even if they are solid its unlikely they will be good there first season. But MARK has left us without depth up front why would we expect anything else at the cb position. Look at our back ups. Very easy to see how we be out of the running early if anyone goes down hurt.
March 26th, 2013 at 9:08 am
It is becoming very clear that we have no interest in any free agent cornerbacks. We plan to draft 2 in the first 3 rounds, probably have Barber back….the team really likes Leonard Johnson and I believe we will eventually sign Revis on our terms.
So, don’t worry….be patient Buc fans….we will have a stable full of good CBs when camp begins.
March 26th, 2013 at 9:19 am
Obviously there is a plan in motion we are nervous and it’s causing us to be inpatient. Every CB FA had pros and cons which none were feet and toes better than Wright. Wright wants to play in tampa and obviously understands the rules keep him and restructure his contract add Revis and bring back barber and we have a serious DEfensive Backfield
March 26th, 2013 at 9:23 am
@Joe, thanks for the back-up.
June 1st is a huge date in the NFL financial world, it’s the date when teams can shift/spread their cap burdens to the next season, why do you think teams wait until June 1 to release some of their most bothersome cap issue players? If the Jets move Revis now, they are on the books for the $13 million cap hit this season, they can barely afford to sign anyone right now because of this looming hit, again, why do you think they wanna move him, his cap hit can sink them, they have to either move him or redo his deal, and its likely they are not in the mood nor can they afford to pay him the $12-14 mil a season he’s going to want in his next deal. He’s gone from the Jets, it’s just a matter of where he’s going to go and how long after June 1 it happens. Now, the Bucs can easily afford him and his contract, it’s just a matter of what are the Jets REALLY looking for for him, is his knee healthy enough to start training soon and will he be a good fit for our team.
March 26th, 2013 at 9:48 am
After all teams fill their CB needs, that will leave Tampa with open starting spots. Once that happens, CBs will be begging to play with the Bucs, just so they can start.
March 26th, 2013 at 9:51 am
Shaky qb. Poor depth on d-line and secondary. New coach. ? Tight end anyones guess. I would love to win the south but these are issues the other 3 teams dont have. Its a lot to expect the few gems we do have to carry the team.How many wins can we expect. Hope at least 8 but in the south its not gonna be easy.
March 26th, 2013 at 9:57 am
Draft CBs in Rds 1&2… Where will the DT, RT, and DE help come from?
I feel the Bucs are in a good position to trade down for an extra 2nd Rd pick.
They’ve got to do something else in FA. Drafting for needs is a slippery slope and there are too many immediate needs for the draft to supply.
Go Bucs!!!
March 26th, 2013 at 10:05 am
35 million dollars under the cap (after Wright get cut).
Chew on that while you guys justify not spending on NFL level talent at the CB position when the roster is devoid of talent at said position.
35 million!!
Use your heads people, this is a decade long business model from the Glazers. And before you go off and point to last year as proof positive that they do spend money, realize that they were in the bottom five in payroll in 2012.
35 million!!
March 26th, 2013 at 10:11 am
I’m ok with Dominik passing on Grimes. If the they didn’t re-sign Bennett because of injury concerns, how could they feel comfortable signing Grimes coming off of a torn achilles? Which is my concern with them going after Revis. Dominik must feel comfortable enough with his recovery.
March 26th, 2013 at 10:24 am
Sign Grimes for say 3 mil + incentives. Put injury clause in his contract.
March 26th, 2013 at 10:49 am
umm… Danny? If you haven’t noticed both Carolina and Atlanta have had major “big name” losses at both CB and DL positions. In fact isn’t it Atlanta that opted not to re-sign Grimes or Dunta Robinson? It’s a big deficiency across the NFC South. Carolina has a coach playing for his career and won’t sign any FAs for more than a year because they know the next coach is going to cut them. They lost a starting CB in Munnerlyn. NO had the worst (statistically) defense in NFL history and lost Jonathan Casillas, fired their DC, and brought in a mercenary who couldn’t hack it in Dallas even with DeMarcus Ware, Brandon Carr, Spencer, etc. He does not have that level of talent in NO. And they can’t afford to pay anyone either because Drew Brees’ ego eats up most of their salary cap.
I’m not predicting a 1st place Bucs season yet, either. All I’m saying is that the defenses in the NFC South are ALL in a bad way this offseason. And will signing castoffs from other NFC South teams really help? It’s going to come down to draft, then coaching. Or else it will be a very high scoring year.
March 26th, 2013 at 10:50 am
Spending cap money just because you have it is the equivalent to spending the cash in your pocket just because it’s there. All the current remaining FA CBs are over the age of 30 or are coming off injuries, if your own team doesn’t want to resign you, why should any other?
March 26th, 2013 at 11:01 am
More like people will be laughing at the Bucs secondary again, with Dom’s poor roster moves.
March 26th, 2013 at 11:02 am
Kaput- do you advocate spending money irresponsibly like they did under the last Chucky/Bruce A years? Charlie Garner? Tim Brown? Buchanan? Kevin Carter, Luke Pettigout, Jeff Garcia, Brian Griese, Joey Galloway? How many playoff wins did that generate all while putting the team in salary cap hell? With contracts coming up for McCoy, Freeman, and that crew and eventual extensions for the next batch of core players you can’t tie up so much cap now on 1-2 year “duct tape” while still taking cap hit 2 years after they leave. Be smart. Spend it right. Don’t sign just for the sake of signing a name that, by now, 31 other teams have also passed on signing. Oh, BTW- how has all that money spent in DC, Dallas, and NY worked out for them? Yes, Skins made the playoffs but that was because of a single draft pick. Other than that it’s been years of high spending futility.
March 26th, 2013 at 11:04 am
(I’m talking about the Jets, not the Giants… they G-men haven’t been very active in the FA market including re-signing their own D guys- and we all know that they haven’t won anything lately, right?)
March 26th, 2013 at 11:04 am
Wow starting to wonder if the Glazers decided to make a one year commitment on free agents (last year) and will go back to being frugal. Its obvious the Falcons have loaded up while we sit on our hands. Thanks Joel hopefully your play for Revis is not a smokescreen so you “look” like you want to spend more money.
March 26th, 2013 at 11:25 am
Nick2- who would you have spent the money on that would also have fit the Bucs’ scheme? Please enlighten all of us with your GM skills. This is a weak FA year with mostly older players with questionable health. Who did the Falcons load up on?????? They signed a backup RB (Jackson) and lost Robinson, Abraham, Turner, and (likely) Grimes. Maybe will add Osi. a backup DL with questionable recent production, who the NYG passed on.
March 26th, 2013 at 11:26 am
BTW, Nick2, here’s my source: http://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/transactions.html
March 26th, 2013 at 11:38 am
There were corners available, and still are. Nobody reasonable has suggested that they drastically overpay anyone, but paying a few might actually work. The Bucs do not currently have an NFL level starting corner on the roster (excluding Wright as he’s about to be cut). Awful.
And don’t use just this season as proof that they’re wise, you have to look at the last decade of spending. It’s not a coincidence that the Bucs have missed the playoffs for a bunch of years in a row and haven’t won a playoff game in a decade. The two things we know to be true: they don’t spend money on players and they miss the playoffs most every year.
35 million dollars under the cap. 35million!!
March 26th, 2013 at 11:49 am
Kaput- Dallas Cowboys and Redskins spent way more, as did the Titans, Dolphins, Jaguars(!), and Panthers. How many playoff wins there? Did that work out? And what CB is (or was) out there and are they really better than Wright???? He was the same kind of signing. And I AM looking at the last 10 years of Bucs spending. Where do you think those names came from? I wasn’t making them up. Were they under the cap? Yes, but their goal was to build a team like New England and the NY Giants, who built through the draft and supplemented with bargain FAs where it made sense. Bruce and Chucky’s years of awful drafts (Stovall, Sabby, Adams, a WR/KR in the 2nd round who was scared of being tackled.. REALLY- a 2nd rounder- at least Benn had injuries to blame) had more to do with the lack of spending. Who from those draft classes would you have re-upped for a big contract? The money would have been spent if the value was there.
March 26th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
@Joe: The June 1 date only matters to the Jets if they plan on using almost all of their cap space this year. I’m curious as to who exactly they plan on spending this money on, given that there are no big money people left to sign. The draft only takes up so much. The only way they need this space is if they were to re-sign some of their players to larger contracts…which seems unlikely given that they don’t have a lot of young talent and Ryan is basically in a lame duck situation.
March 26th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
@Kaput
You are stuck on repeat. Every post is the same. Easy to bash someone for not spending when its not your money. Wise business men are careful with there money. Clearly you are not wise or a businessman… stick to what your good at which it seems is repeating yourself… over and over and over. Go head I’ll wait to hear “35 million under the cap!” once more.
March 26th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
If you want the team you root for to be frugal, save money and make a nice profit, then the Bucs are your franchise.
If you want the team you root for to work every angle and to spend every dime allowable under the CBA to get better, the Bucs aren’t your cup of tea.
I can’t for the life of me figure how its justifiable for a fan to defend a decade of being at the bottom of spending. Their spending behavior has changed me from a diehard fan to a guy that refuses to spend money on the product. The only way they’re going to change their approach is if enough fans vote with their wallets and stop supporting the current direction. The stands are half empty now, hopefully that continues . . .
Oh yeah, they’re 35 million dollars under the salary cap!!
March 26th, 2013 at 1:05 pm
Holy crap. I just took a quick look at the Bucs draft history from 2005 on, which would be players in their second or third contracts now. Davin Joseph (2006 #1) and Zuttah (2008 Rd 2) are the only one still on the Bucs.
That’s bad, but not the worst. 31 of 39 are no longer playing football.
Left on an NFL roster now: Joseph, Zuttah, Bruce Gradkowski, Trueblood, Hayes, Hayward, and Talib. I’ll give a pass to Quincy Black who would be if not injured. 8 players. That’s it. 39 picks. 8 left in the league. Only 3 are slated to be a starter (Joseph, Zuttah, Talib). Which one of the 31 would anyone have given a second no less a 3rd contract?????
March 26th, 2013 at 1:08 pm
(my analysis were the Chucky/Allen years, not Dominic who the trolls love to bash)
and Kaput- I ask you for 1 example of a team that outspent the Bucs on EXTERNAL free agents who did better. Show me. My point is that there wasn’t any INTERNAL people good enough to give a new contract to because Bruce Almighty and Chucky ruined the team.
March 26th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
The Bucs free agency period has been disappointing to say the least. The other teams in the NFC South have upgraded and/or retooled.
March 26th, 2013 at 10:04 pm
Let’s think about this a sec…
Last year, the Bucs had the number 9 offense. They were 9 or 10 in all but one offensive category. The only real player on offense they have lost is Dallas Clark, right?
With the 9th offense, we went 7-9…just a few games short of the playoffs.
Isn’t it safe to say that the offense will be even better this year? Afterall, it will be the second year under the HC and OC.
So, my thinking is that with an improved defense, the Bucs can afford the time to develop rookie CBs. Certainly, they cannot play any worse than the ones that played last year.
The offense is maturing now…and when it starts aging? The defense will be maturing. At least in theory. And really, the defense is not that far off. If our pass defense had been better last year, we would have possible won 4 additional games.
March 26th, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Kaput Says:
March 26th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
“I can’t for the life of me figure how its justifiable for a fan to defend a decade of being at the bottom of spending.”
Not really totally fair there. There were three key components leading into the frugal spending…First, Rich McKay did a LOT of damage to the salary cap…and to the draft. He gave up multiple 1st & 2nd rounders, mortgaging our future.
Second, Jon Gruden. He insisted on having a heavy focus on free agency, basically bankrupting the team even more. He was horrible at young player development, especially QBs.
And finally, the lockout. The lockout was expected to happen eventually for at least 4 of those years. Owners all knew the rules would change as a result. The hope was that it would result in players not having salaries as high. At first it didn’t work that way once the new CBA was in place…but now we see players getting much less.
Bruce Allen helped get us out of Cap hell, but by the time he did, the lockout was looming. As soon as the lockout was done, the Glazers started spending again.
The Skins and Cowboys spend like maniacs…what have they go to show for it? No Superbowls. Sure, playoff appearances have happened…but really, what is the point if they can’t go all the way?
The FA period fans expected big moves like last year. The difference was that last year there were players worth getting. Young explosive players.
This year, nearly all the players available are aged or injured. The Bucs are playing this right. With an improved offense, they can afford the time to develop CBs…and maybe get one in the second part of FA or in FA next year if the draft picks don’t do well.