Famous Bucs Bust Hangs It Up
June 18th, 2014
Finally, former Adderall-popping, suspension-serving, change-of-pace-loving Bucs cornerback Eric Wright has done the football world a favor.
The man who once boasted of his upcoming spa and shopping weekend while his Bucs teammates clung to playoff hopes retired yesterday as a healthy 28-year-old cornerback on the Super Bowl contending 49ers.
Wright, in a statement released by the Niners, explained that his “passion” for the game was gone.
Thanks, Eric. Bucs fans knew that long ago.
Wright was perhaps the most heinous free agent signing by former rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, who overpaid Wright $15.5 million in guaranteed cash when the free agency dinner bell rang in 2012. That was quite a bit of coin for a guy who had never made a Pro Bowl and never played like a Pro Bowler. Lucky for the Bucs, Wright’s shady drug use cleared the way for Dominik to void Wright’s contract after a year and save a big chunk of that money.
For those who prefer happy memories, Wright did deliver Bucs fans one of the great individual efforts in team history. Here’s the video.
June 18th, 2014 at 9:07 am
So bad. Amazing that this time last year he was slated to start across from Revis before the whole drug thing happened.
June 18th, 2014 at 9:13 am
I have to admit and apologize to those I argued with when I attempted to support the ability of The Rock Star. I really thought Dom had some talent, or was at least getting there. But these types of stories make me cringe every time I read one. Joe, even your comment that this maybe Dom’s “…most heinous free agent signing…” made me think – “not sure about that, there were same really bad ones.
So, again to all of you I debated with, I apologize for my foolishness.
June 18th, 2014 at 9:20 am
He still has the most amazing pick six in bucs history.
June 18th, 2014 at 9:21 am
i mean in terms of jukes and spins
June 18th, 2014 at 9:23 am
Not buying his reason for retiring. Some shoe was about to drop that we may never hear about now, but Eric is no martyr or one to leave money on the table unless it was going to be taken from him anyway. Wait a few weeks, we may hear the real story!
June 18th, 2014 at 9:26 am
I don’t think this signing was his worst. In his first year of the Rockstar’s reign of terror, he signed a bunch of guys with signing bonuses that did not even play for the team. that is why he was never allowed to release singing bonuses to players after that. The Glazers were tired of all the money handed out and none of them played. ( except Leftwich who played of 4 games).
June 18th, 2014 at 9:35 am
Speaking of busts, Carl Nicks comes to mind, however his inability to play is directly related to injury/illness. Watch this one Joe…..Jimmy Graham’s franchise ruling. Whatever the outcome, the Saints are going to have to cut some big money player(s), to get under the cap and pay Graham. Look for a top offensive lineman to be on that list. Our questions about guard could change in a hurry.
June 18th, 2014 at 9:49 am
@Dwight- thanks for clarifying your post. As we know Barber had the best pick 6 in Bucs history against Philly. Brooks had the most appropriate pick 6 in Bucs history at the SB.
June 18th, 2014 at 9:57 am
It may look like a bad signing due to none play, but I wouldn’t even think about counting Carl in there. Injuries happen, and a man that big with a major toe injury….. Wish it didn’t go down like that, but it’s gotta be hard for him to walk. I’m no fan of Dom, but he couldn’t of known the big man was gonna get hurt
June 18th, 2014 at 10:10 am
Albert Haynesworth is the most inexcusable signing in Dom’s tenure.
There is absolutely no excuse for giving Haynesworth a look. Haynesworth already quit on Washington and Bill Belichick.
Derrick Ward, the Michael Clayton extension, and claiming the 2010 draft to be the “deepest ever” with all of his misses are pretty bad too.
Thank goodness Greg Schiano came into town and took out the trash. Schiano got rid of the malcontents AND drafted like a BOSS.
Dominick by and largely stunk up the Bucs, but his Albert Haynesworth acquisition is by far the worst.
June 18th, 2014 at 10:13 am
Forgot about Wright a long time ago. I like joe bucks fan, but I’m hoping there are more interesting things to wrote about than this. And way too many ads on this site!!!
June 18th, 2014 at 10:15 am
Forgot about Wright a long time ago. I like joebucsfan, but I’m hoping there are more interesting things to write about than this. And way too many ads on this site!!!
June 18th, 2014 at 10:35 am
Haynesworth was a cheap pickup buddy. A waiver wire addition. Get your facts straight stevenk. A waiver wire addition never will be considered “the worst signing ever”, sorry buddy.
But Dom did try to overpay him before that, I think he even offered more than the Redskins. LOL
So, add Wright to another of Dom’s failures.
Dom paid his players so well, that most of them lost the incentive to keep playing. LOL
June 18th, 2014 at 10:36 am
This email to ESPN intercepted at the NSA:
Dear Mark:
Thanks again for funding my retirement, best of luck at ESPN, I’ll be watching you on the tube.
Forever grateful,
Eric Wright
June 18th, 2014 at 10:39 am
There are many “worst” Dominik signings. He may be good at contracts and draft-day trades but he was a horrible talent evaluator of both college and professional players. If any team hires him again for any sort of position involving talent evaluation they will regret it. Stay in the booth, Dominik. You set this team back way too far for me to have much respect for your accomplishments.
June 18th, 2014 at 10:44 am
@SteveK
Quite the infamous list you have provided us. We picked up Haynesworth on waivers from NE, so I don’t think we paid him all that much, and that is kind of what I remember too – he was a cheap look. So, with that said, I vote for Stone Hands. My reason being is that we paid him a LOT of money and we knew Clayton hand Hands of Stone. Derrick Ward was a good one too thou. I do disagree with the contention that when Schiano came in he all of a sudden was doing Dom’s job. He may have helped, but if the Glazers felt that Dom was that big of an idiot that they gave his duties to Schiano, why not just fire Dom?
As to those who think Nicks was the biggest bust, how can you expect Dom to have the foresight to know Nicks was going to get hurt? That is silly. Do you realize, if Nicks had not gotten hurt the Bucs run game likely would have flourished all of last year and Schiano and Dom might still be here. Thank you Carl!
June 18th, 2014 at 10:52 am
@Dwight the juke and spins might make it amazing, but Ronde’s interception of McNabb is hand’s down the greatest pick six in Buccaneers history without a single doubt.
In fact, IMHO, it might be the greatest play (period) in Bucs history
June 18th, 2014 at 10:53 am
Hands down Ward was his worst signing. Came in out of shape and good running backs could be had off the street for far less.
June 18th, 2014 at 10:56 am
@Dwight:
I’d have to give it to Mason Foster against the Saints last year. Wright’s return was impressive but Foster’s was tops.
June 18th, 2014 at 11:01 am
The other Aderall brother I believe signed w the 49ers. I’m of course referring to cabbie beating, pistol whipping, Aderall popping, helmet weilding Talib.
June 18th, 2014 at 11:31 am
I guess I wasn’t paying attention. What’s with all this Adderall talk?
Signed, JT Freeman.
June 18th, 2014 at 11:44 am
Sorry, you all have it wrong. Dominicks worse signing was…Raheem Morris.
June 18th, 2014 at 12:13 pm
Dom was the one who turned the Glazer Boys on to the great Greg Schiano.
Cant exercise any worse judgment than that.
Jim Bates for defensive coordinator comes close. Then that offensive coordinator who got canned in the preseason.
Releasing Brooks for Geno Hayes….
Leftwich….Clayton…Ward….Nicks….Haynseworth….Free…..Bennett….Price…
Benn…..
The depths of ineptitude is so vast its hard to pick the most idiotic move.
June 18th, 2014 at 12:35 pm
@stevek,
The reason why the Haynesworth signing wasn’t the worst was that there was not much money involved. However, if you recall a few years before when AH was hitting the free agent market for the first time, Dominik did, in fact, put a gigantic amount of money out there for him. He chose to sign elsewhere, but had he taken the contract with the Bucs then, it would’ve gone down as the worst free agent signing in team history. Thankfully, some other moron offered even more.
June 18th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
Orca,
It is the principle alone about signing Haynesworth. Forget the fact that Dominick offered more money than the Skins for Haynesworth (lack of) services and think about it.
Our roster wasn’t equipped to deal with a GMC injury, his 2nd one, and we had to sign Haynesworth.
Signing Haynesworth has the same as throwing up the white flag. No room for quitters on this team.
More money has been wasted on other players yes, but Dominick must’ve really NOT had a plan if he HAD to sign Haynesworth. I despise that quitter. At least Josh Freeman did shady stuff with leaking information when he quit on the Bucs… At least Freeman expelled some time of last ditch effort.
June 18th, 2014 at 1:45 pm
My favorite was after Haynesworth went to Wasington, Because he admitted if he went to Tampa he would always be on his boat. The pop-star next move was to sign Angelo Crowell for a couple of million who never played a down due to previous knee injury.
June 18th, 2014 at 2:14 pm
Talib was bought out by the Broncos.
June 18th, 2014 at 2:42 pm
I hope Lovie can turn this franchise around.
June 18th, 2014 at 3:40 pm
I agree with Tom, without Ronde’s pick the Bucs most likely would be without a trophy, therefore best play in Bucs history.
June 18th, 2014 at 3:54 pm
At what point did he actually have passion for the game?
June 18th, 2014 at 7:41 pm
Realist…I was politicking for firing Dom when we let Rah go…and I always thought he was a p poor evaluator of talent. But “reign of terror”…man, wish I had thought of that one.
As an aside, do you ever wonder how things might have played out if we had traded up for Calvin Johnson, like Gru wanted us to?
June 18th, 2014 at 8:21 pm
Wright is a mental midget. Otherwise known as pu**y-as* mother f**ker.
He’ll be filing for bankruptcy within two years.
Go Bucs!!!