Might The Bucs Be Shopping?
June 9th, 2014
The gem Joe found over the weekend, where John Madden believes most teams in today’s NFL don’t fret much over their offensive lines, looking to only block the two A-gaps and unload the ball quickly, sure seems that describes what the Bucs are building on offense.
Sure, the Bucs signed Evan Dietrich-Smith. He’s a damn fine center and that surely helps with blocking up the middle. Then there are the two guards, or lack thereof.
Also concerned about guards is the “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune, who believes the Bucs may be searching for bodies.
Bucs mandatory mini-camp begins Tuesday. All eyes on Carl Nicks. Will he show? Will he participate? Do the Bucs need 2 new starting guards?
— Ira Kaufman (@IKaufmanTBO) June 7, 2014
Banking on the return of Nicks is slightly smarter than banking on Da’Quan Bowers to turn around his career. Joe hates to be Debbie Downer, but he sure doesn’t expect Nicks to be in the starting lineup come September. The combination of an ugly turf toe and the MRSA likely did in Nicks. It’s really sad.
And no, this has nothing to do with former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. For the fools who claim Dominik is at fault for Nicks, then you cough up the Powerball numbers for Joe out of that crystal ball you have in your bedroom. How the hell is anyone supposed to predict an Act of God? By that same logic, then Bucs general manager Jason Licht swung and missed on Mike Evans because Godzilla has a bum hamstring.
June 9th, 2014 at 8:11 am
No, we do not blame dominick for not buying the winning lotto ticket, we blame him because he blew all the rent money on lotto tickets and did not win anything.
June 9th, 2014 at 8:25 am
You can’t fault him (Dom) for the freak injuries but you can fault him for the lack of depth when the injuries happen. Also his philosophy of just signing a few top dollar free agents, makes the injuries seem worse when they do happen to guys that are making more than anyone else at their position (Carl Nicks).
June 9th, 2014 at 8:28 am
Hey, I’m sure the Captain of the Summit Venture did some stuff that wasn’t his fault either.
June 9th, 2014 at 8:29 am
I don’t blame Dominik for Nicks, but I blame him for being an incompetent boob of a GM.
June 9th, 2014 at 8:32 am
OF COURSE they are shopping…I am sure they are looking to upgrade the team WHEREVER they can…not just the OL. Read the story where Pete Carroll had over 200 different members of the Seahawks his first year in what has turned out to be a great turnaround
June 9th, 2014 at 8:32 am
ODB,
It wasn’t the captain’s fault they built a bridge over a perfectly nice, wide, open body of water!
June 9th, 2014 at 8:35 am
Nicks has physically and mentally already cashed out as an NFL player.
June 9th, 2014 at 8:45 am
@lighting – exactly
:splash: (car going into the water)
Captain: But, I’m getting better! I’m learning.
:splash:
:splash:
June 9th, 2014 at 8:47 am
A lot of people will be crapping their pants if Nick’s comes running out on the field healthy and ready to play. Especially the NFC south D lineman!
June 9th, 2014 at 8:49 am
i blame our medical staff. not just for nicks , but for a slew of signings in the past few years that haven’t held up medically. the MRSA was happen-stance , but the toe was not new news and you have to wonder if the new Orleans med staff knew more than we were told. pretty easy decision on their part to not sign him and let him walk if that were the case. then,secondly, our staff not getting a good handle on the severity of the injury.thirdly I blame Dominick for being blind-sided. I was always all in for grubbs at the time because I just don’t trust a division rival when it comes to free agency. any ways , better watch the crystal ball talk joes or i’ll bring up glennon again.see ya
June 9th, 2014 at 8:51 am
Dom isn’t at fault for Nicks injury, but he is at fault for committing so much salary to a single guard while simultaneously neglecting to get any passable depth on the line.
June 9th, 2014 at 8:57 am
When you’re up to you’re a$$ in alligators, it makes little sense to try and find out whose job it was to drain the swamp! There are only two questions to ask now: (1) not whether Nicks will make it to training camp, but whether he can be relied on to play at a high level for the season? (2) do we have people in camp now that are suitable alternatives for both right and left guard? If we can answer those questions in the affirmative, then we’re good to go. If not, the search for replacements should have started already. Mark Dominik can’t answer those questions nor can he fix the problem!
June 9th, 2014 at 9:00 am
Correction: your. You see people make mistakes and Dominik may have, but it’s history now!
June 9th, 2014 at 9:01 am
If Carl nicks can’t play can we still offer his toe a contract to play. Nobody would dare try to blitz that thing.
June 9th, 2014 at 9:02 am
I blame Joe for apologizing and making excuses for the pop-star thankfully short but devestaing to the Buc’s franchise career.
June 9th, 2014 at 9:06 am
Dominik acquired the most dominant G in the league, no harm in that.
Drafting Freeman, Benn, Lewis, Gaitor, and Bowers (many more) was his fault.
June 9th, 2014 at 9:30 am
I disagree w/ our previous GM’s decision making on several moves-Carl Nicks not being one. Be it by the players choice or coaches decision. When Nicks got the toe smashed-it would have been wiser-to Rest the big guy/ get the toe right-Instead we let him play for 3 to 4 wks more-Making the situation worse.
Rushing the guy-back on the field last offseason w/ an infectious toe might have perfected the conditions for the MRSA out break. So it is what it is-Now your stuck w/ paying a guy $32 million for 9 games.Dark Chapter for the organization-Glade to see the renewed commitment to excellence-Time to *Cut your losing and move on.
June 9th, 2014 at 9:35 am
**Cut your loses and move on.
June 9th, 2014 at 9:39 am
I blame Dominik for investing heavily on one of the least important offensive positions on the field. There is a reason OGs don’t make as much money as QBs, WRs, OTs, and TEs… because you can find great ones anywhere and you can find adequate ones on the street….and even having a great one doesn’t guarantee any kind of success for a team. Signing two overpriced guards is like going out and breaking the bank on a Sam LB or a backup safety. Spending money or high picks on guards does not equal success.
June 9th, 2014 at 9:40 am
It is surprising in this day and age that medical science advancements have’nt come up with treatment for Nick’s toe problem that would enable quicker recovery,
June 9th, 2014 at 9:49 am
Joe’s a charter member of the Mark Dominik Mob (MDM)! I just wish Joe would give MG8 half as much respect as he gives Dom.
June 9th, 2014 at 9:55 am
*Possible trade targets (Unhappy w/Contract/Playing time/New scheme
• RG Evan Mathis 32 6-5 298 (10yrs) Alabama
• RG Jeff Baca 24 6-3 302 (2yrs) UCLA
• LG Alex Boone 27 6-8 300 (5yrs) Ohio State
• LDE Derrick Morgan 25 6-3 271 (5yrs) Georgia Tech
June 9th, 2014 at 10:15 am
Ever see Debbie Downer at the beach…….in her 2-piece……hummaba-hummaba
June 9th, 2014 at 10:29 am
The second wave of free agency might offer some help. I can’t imagine Tedford being complacent with the current situation at either guard position.
June 9th, 2014 at 10:36 am
” How the hell is anyone supposed to predict an Act of God?”
The Little General’s 110X16 gauntlets are now an act of God??
Dominick tearing up his contract and locking him up long term simply compounded the idiocy.
Letting an infected trainer work on open sores was really smart.
Handing out Adderall to the players so they could survive the gauntlets and not knowing that the NFL pee tests a percentage of players after practice that day was incredibly stupid and moronic.
I’m surprised no one died that day.
June 9th, 2014 at 10:39 am
Wasn’t it already stated that Nicks will not be ready until TRAINING CAMP?
All these stories about him not showing up to the mini camps seem a waste when we already know he will be out until August.
June 9th, 2014 at 10:46 am
Brandon Says
“I blame Dominik for investing heavily on one of the least important offensive positions on the field. There is a reason OGs don’t make as much money…”
People seem to forget that the Buccaneers offensive line was a mess. We were in desperate need of a good center because the ones we had outright sucked.
Carl Nicks was one of the best OGs in the NFL at the time. Dominick was right for doing what it took to get him.
It allowed Zuttah to move to center, where he was better.
So far as the dollars, there is no set price for how much a player, any player makes. It all depends on the needs of the team for a player of proper caliber. By signing Nicks, Dominick addressed two positions on the oline….OG and Center.
The Nicks injury could happen at any time to any player. No way to predict it.
I’m still not convinced he’s done though…but I do believe that unless he makes a huge difference when he comes back, he’ll be cut by next year.
June 9th, 2014 at 10:48 am
There were plenty of reasons to blame Dominick for making the team worse. Nicks wasn’t one of them. Luck of the draw, nothing more.
June 9th, 2014 at 10:49 am
(Mandatory) Veteran Minicamp starts tomorrow
-“Per the CBA, all teams can hold one mandatory veteran minicamp with three days of practice to be held on Tuesday through Thursday. Players are to report on Monday for physicals, and they cannot work Friday. Players can wear helmets, but no pads, and contact drills are not allowed. Teams can hold two-a-day practices on 2-of-3 minicamp days, but they can’t practice for more than a total of 3.5 hours, and one practice has to be a walk-through. Overall, teams can’t work players for more than 10 hours in any of the minicamp days.
According to the CBA, the maximum starting fine for one unexcused absence from minicamp is $11,575. The fine amount can increase by as much as $11,575 per day missed. Were a player to miss all three days of minicamp, the maximum fine would be $69,450.”
Will Carl Nicks show Up??
June 9th, 2014 at 11:00 am
I can imagine that every team at this stage of the offseason has two or three players (perhaps more) that they anticipated would be major contributors who are serious question marks. I also believe in the Madden theory that OL simply need to block long enough to let the playmakers do their thing. There is nothing wrong with our center and two tackles. I trust Smith to find a adequate replacement for Nicks and some depth by the time the Panthers get to town. As for Bowers I feel like we will be a top 10 defense with or without him. His fate is in his hands where it should be. I certainly don’t think joe is peddling any bad news by pointing this out. It is what it is……
June 9th, 2014 at 11:04 am
@Joe’s
-If shows up and passes the physical, does that concede that he can play. Does that basically waive his injury settlement/2013 contract guarantees?
-If doesn’t show up & file for the injury settlement. How long before- he can apply for reinstatement to the league-after the settlement?
June 9th, 2014 at 11:10 am
Time to bring in OL free agents that don’t have great measureables, but have a great heart !
June 9th, 2014 at 11:49 am
A blindfolded monkey randomly throwing darts at a draft board would have a higher success rate in the draft than Dominik had. And I’m not exaggerating, either.
June 9th, 2014 at 12:03 pm
I’m truly ambivalent in this Dominik debate. I think both sides have been a little extreme. No he’s not a rock star but he wasn’t quite as bad as some make out.
Remember Dominik began in a really down time for the Bucs in terms of spending as the money was going to Man U. Limited dollars mean desperation and that leads to questionable decisions.
But he did come up with GMAC and Levonte and the jury is still out on Barron.
Toss in Doug and some others and while Dominik was no Gil Brandt he was no worse than Bruce Allen who is failing in DC just as badly as he did here.
While we can debate whether Gruden won the SB with Father Dungy’s players…he DID win it and Tony didn’t. That saddens me btw because I’m a bigger fan of Dungy’s than Grudens.
But there can be little doubt that Gruden won with Rich McKay’s players not Bruce Allen’s team.,
June 9th, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Scary philosophy when you saw how much Cutler got hammered in Chi Town
June 9th, 2014 at 12:53 pm
35-06-42-01-43-57
June 9th, 2014 at 1:10 pm
FLBoyInDallas Says:
June 9th, 2014 at 11:49 am
“A blindfolded monkey randomly throwing darts at a draft board would have a higher success rate in the draft than Dominik had. And I’m not exaggerating, either.”
Um, yes you are. It’s called hyperbole.
June 9th, 2014 at 1:45 pm
I don’t even know why anyone is asking if they need 2 new guards… Of course they do. There is no way they should be counting on Nicks, and they probably aren’t. If the guy comes back, it should be considered a bonus. However, I don’t think this means they’re necessarily going to sign some older experienced journeyman type with no upside. I think they’re going to develop the younger guys they have and let them experience their growing pains.
June 9th, 2014 at 2:57 pm
The signing of Nicks sure seemed like a good idea at the time. His injuries and unavailability are just problems compounded by the failures to pick-up adequate starting guards in the draft and free agency since.
June 9th, 2014 at 3:43 pm
Dominik had one successful free agent (Vincent Jackson) and a very low success rate on drafted players until Schiano arrived. He did a little better on stealing people from other team’s practice squads – Michael Bennett comes to mind. Donald Penn was before he became GM. And then there was the ridiculous trade for Revis… the ridiculous trade for K2… The waste of a pick for Carimi… It’s hard to make an argument that Dominik was a competent GM. Everything looked glossy and shiny on the outside, but the inside was held together with fishing line.
June 9th, 2014 at 6:24 pm
I think the WORST thing Dom did was put too much stock in Rah’s talent evaluation skills.
I think the BEST thing Dom did was put too much stock in Schiano’s talent evaluation skills.
So basically, I don’t give Dom much credit or blame. I think he was little more than a middle man for talent, and a contract negotiator.