Bucs Dodged Free Agent Trap
March 12th, 2014
Joe wants to say the Bucs won opening day in free agency, but really, when was the last time a team that won free agency made a legitimate run at a Super Bowl? The path to earning high draft picks is often taken by a team that went wild in free agency (yes, Joe is looking at you, Danny Snyder).
Aside from the Revis situation — Joe doubts he will ever get over that — it’s easy to argue the Bucs had a great day yesterday.
Why, it almost, almost, makes Joe sense that almost every position has been sealed up, positioning the Bucs to grab Johnny Football at No. 7.
One of the traps many teams overactive teams in free agency fall into is getting players past their primes, players 30 and older. As Joe is always fond of saying, it’s a red flag when playoff teams let players walk. But Bucs beat guy Tom Krasniqi of WDAE-AM 620 says birthdays suggest the duo of Bucs coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht played yesterday’s transactions wisely.
@TKras: Another positive about Bucs signings– they’re young: DE M. Johnson (27), CB A. Verner (25), DT B. McDonald (27), TE B. Myers (28)
All players that should be entering or are in the prime ages of their athletic lives.
Time will tell, of course, if the Bucs hit the jackpot with yesterday’s (and today’s) signings. It might be two or three years. If you see Joe’s mugshot in two years, it likely will be because of a hassle with the cops after Joe’s neighbors heard him freaking out watching Revis return a pick for a touchdown in a conference title game.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:07 am
Few draft picks this year. Not many chances to put many pieces in place through the draft this year so FA was really the only was to make the sweeping changes they needed to make. I’m not thrilled about being so free agent heavy but I get it. Hopefully we’re bringing in the replacements for these free agents in the coming years’ drafts so we can shed those price tags and pay our guys.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:09 am
Hey Joe
Can you please hook us up with a salary cap update???
March 12th, 2014 at 9:10 am
Yeah Joe we want a salary cap update…
March 12th, 2014 at 9:10 am
Great? Just hold that hyperbole until well into the season.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:14 am
Rockstar’s biggest mistake last offseason was hitting a home run (Revis) instead of singles and doubles (Sean Smith, Brent Grimes, depth on the DL). It looks like we’ll have a better outcome this year.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:14 am
Johnny Football isn’t happening. We may take another QB at 7, but not him.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:16 am
Dang can’t even get one day in without seeing JF’s name. Joe? You gonna grow boobs so can call this place JillBucsFan? Just one day please sir
March 12th, 2014 at 9:16 am
We’ll, we had about $24 million, spent $8.5 mil on Johnson, 6.5 on Verner, and about 5 mil on Myers and McDonald so we should have around 4 mil left, 20 mil after we get Revis off the books.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:16 am
I think that the Teams above the Bucs #7 pick have also addressed their needs as well and things may work that a Worthy QB will fall to #7
The Bucs may have their choice of Bridgewater, Bortles or Manziel
March 12th, 2014 at 9:16 am
Chiefs of 2014 Baby!
Come on day 2….
March 12th, 2014 at 9:22 am
@Buc Neckid – If we have our choice between the three top rated QBs at #7 then I would be happy to trade back a few picks and snag one of them up in the middle of the round along with getting some more picks. That would be a value signing that I could be happy with.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:23 am
There may be one of the 3 QBs at 7, but I doubt more then one of them. The way the Jags talk, it’s like they’re gonna draft more then just one and the Texans and Oakland are toss ups. But it’s very possible that one of them will be there. Probably not the right one, but one
March 12th, 2014 at 9:24 am
We got young players and we didn’t over pay… great job bucs!
March 12th, 2014 at 9:24 am
The Bucs didn’t avoid the real free agent trap though: Don’t use free agency to build a team. And if they sign all the guys that have been speculated, that could be 1/3 of next years starters acquired through free agency this year. Best teams build through the draft, we all know this.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:25 am
Lovie still grabs Barr, Mack, or Mosley is what I see, especially after a great Defense just man handled a record breaking offense in the Super Bowl, little over a month ago. Like the moves and looks like playoff time is in the near future
March 12th, 2014 at 9:28 am
Bucs pick #7. You’ve got the Big 3 QBs, Big 3 OTs, Clowney, Watkins, Mack and Barr, right? So of those ten, six will be gone. I think Clowney and the QBs go to Hou, Jax, Cle & Oak. That leaves StL and Atl. The Falcons have to take an OT, right? The Rams will take an OT or Watkins. That leaves the Bucs with a choice of Mack, Barr and either 2 OTs or one plus Watkins.
So it seems to me that the Bucs wind up with Watkins or Mack.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:29 am
Johnny Dirtball will be a Texan or a Jaguar
March 12th, 2014 at 9:29 am
It will be nice to dump the $16M man, (not the player though) but we’ve still got huge chunks of cap allotted to VJax and Nicks.
It would be a miracle if Nicks can at least give us one year of good play.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:37 am
After we sign Tillman and McCown, I guess we won’t be praised for youth anymore but instead praised for bringing in veteran leadership.
March 12th, 2014 at 9:41 am
I wish I thought higher of these guys. But they are young. Now we can worry about leadership again. Sigh. No really average players at premium prices, but that’s what free agency is.
March 12th, 2014 at 10:02 am
Keep Revis because next year Nicks and V-Jax come off the books.
March 12th, 2014 at 10:36 am
teacherman, V-Jax might end up with an extension. He hasn’t done that bad.
March 12th, 2014 at 11:10 am
V Jackson has done that bad? What are we talking about around here??? Do you all even watch games. The guy has averaged over 18 per catch. Over 150 balls and Td’s what the heck did you all want? Mike Wallace???
March 12th, 2014 at 11:25 am
I just can’t stand a $10M player getting caught from behind. It’s cost us games. Other than that, VJax has been a good signing.
March 12th, 2014 at 11:27 am
Strong information out of OBP that Nicks is 100 per cent, training hard and set for comeback. Don’t count him out. He’s had bad luck but even at 80% is one of the top four guards in the league.
March 12th, 2014 at 11:37 am
I’m all for Keeping Revis!!!! Most dominant CBs in the game
March 12th, 2014 at 12:03 pm
Lovelight will try to trade down in rounds 1-3 and acquire more picks. They will find some future stars in this draft. We are in great shape even before the Mevis cap space. Mevis is no longer the shutdown cb he use to be. Tape doesn’t lie, he got schooled a lot last year!!
March 12th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
JOE – I second teachermans request (Very first comment) Does anyone know how much money is left to spend? especially since we have not improved our offensive line…….yet.
March 12th, 2014 at 12:35 pm
I’m not convinced Johnny Football is the way to go. But, for just a second, let’s assume the Bucs DON’T get him in the draft. Yesterday they shored up their D-Line, got a very serviceable replacement for Revis, added depth at TE, and re-signed one of their better O-lineman. Today they have a chance to get another couple of good O-linemen (Dietrich-Smith & Collins), and some depth guys (Tillman, Hester, and McCown). ASSUMING that the Bucs don’t use the #7 pick on a QB, and ASSUMING that Sammy Watkins is there, wouldn’t that be a great pick to add more depth to the team? If all those things played out, I’d be hard-pressed to find a REALLY weak spot on the team.
March 12th, 2014 at 12:43 pm
Actually Daffy according to the tape ProFootballFocus analyzed, Revis was the best corner in the game last year…off an injury. But yeah he’s definitely trash.
March 12th, 2014 at 2:38 pm
i’m done making team predictions based on free agency*. in the last 2 offseasons, nicks, vjax, wright, goldson, and revis all fell into the same prime years bucket and in most cases we were disappointed with what we ultimately got from their buc careers.
*maybe, but probably not
March 12th, 2014 at 3:06 pm
Vjax is a stud. Last year was amazing with how much attention he garnered. We have to get an impact player at 7. Mack, one of the Otd, Watkins, A qb if lo ur wants or trade down to get Benjamin of Barr. Verner and Johnson got me hyped, thanks lovie and licht for making up for dominiks nonsense gm skills. Lets get Steve smith to piss off Carolina and get Mack. Sproles would also add a nice dimension for mccown, glennon, or wh
March 12th, 2014 at 3:07 pm
Vjax is a stud. Last year was amazing with how much attention he garnered. We have to get an impact player at 7. Mack, one of the Otd, Watkins, A qb if lo ur wants or trade down to get Benjamin of Barr. Verner and Johnson got me hyped, thanks lovie and licht for making up for dominiks nonsense gm skills. Lets get Steve smith to piss off Carolina and get Mack. Sproles would also add a nice dimension for mccown, glennon, or whomever