Tim Wright Talks To Joe
January 29th, 2015One of Joe’s favorite players is in the Super Bowl this Sunday. Naturally, he’s not playing for the Bucs.
Tight end Tim Wright was used for trade bait to lure he-left-his-heart-in-New England barbecue pitmaster guard Logan Mankins. Since, Wright has continued to develop as a fine NFL player and Mankins is still searching for that elusive spot in Florida for a barbecue.
A former wide receiver at Rutgers, Wright came undrafted to the Bucs in 2013. His former college coach, then Bucs commander Greg Schiano, switched him to tight end and Wright quickly showed a lot of promise. It was one of Schiano’s smartest moves.
Wright talked about Schiano’s demise, Josh Freeman going mental, and how the new regime of the Bucs may have prematurely given up on him.
JoeBucsFan: Why didn’t Greg Schiano work out? You knew him better than most anyone.
Tim Wright: Sometimes, it’s not the right timing. Some things we can’t always have control of. I’d say we all played hard and all worked hard. But it was just an unfortunate situation at the time. He is a great coach. I am sure he will get another opportunity. He will have success that he always had.
Joe: What happened to Josh Freeman?
Wright: Man, I’m not sure. Every player has control over the opportunities that are presented to him and the preparation that they put into it. I was a young guy at the time [Freeman went mental], and I didn’t know the ins and outs of how the National Football League worked. As I got older, I started to understand more things and you start to see more things. Every man controls his own destiny. That’s what it was.
Joe: Do you think if Freeman never melts down – for whatever reason that was – that not only are you still with the Bucs but Schiano is still with the Bucs?
Wright: Man, I am not sure. You can’t tell. [That] was a freakish year. A lot of things took place that we really couldn’t control. But I’m playing in the Super Bowl. That is what my focus is. I am focusing on Seattle. It is great to be able to contribute any way possible.
Joe: More than once folks in the Bucs front office told Joe how much they loved you. Joe knows that. Knows that. They talked about you all the time. Was [the trade because] you and Lovie [Smith] didn’t mesh, or were [the Bucs] that desperate for an offensive lineman that they had to use you for trade bait?
Wright: I’m not sure, man. I’m not sure what transpired. I just know that I am here and am very blessed and grateful for this situation and live it up.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:05 pm
Don’t you talk about me!
January 29th, 2015 at 3:06 pm
Such a gem he turned out to be. It is such a shame that we traded away a productive player, and seems like, a high character young man.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:10 pm
I hope he gets a couple of targets and a TD. One of the few bright spots we had in developing guys.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:18 pm
love this guy. that trade sickened me not only for loosing him, but how licht got fleeced for a 4th.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:22 pm
“Every man controls his own destiny.”
Without saying everything, he just said everything.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:27 pm
Good Luck Tim. Glad that you have a shot at a SB ring (not that I want the Pats to win) – but a shot is a shot. Many great players in the history of this league never even got that opportunity.
Nice attempt at getting some info Joe – but Tim wasn’t in the tell-all mode obviously.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:39 pm
Here is the key sentence:
“Every player has control over the opportunities that are presented to him and the preparation that they put into it.”
Freeman quit caring about football. He lost interest. He quit putting the necessary time into preparing his mind and body for gameday. I imagine that the napoleonic coach yelling at him every day contributed to his loss of interest – but we’ll never know for sure or ever get the full story. Sucks that it worked out that way – but it did. Time to let it go.
Hopefully we will have a new rookie QB this year that succeeds and we can permanently move past our collective disappointment of how the Freeman situation turned out.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:43 pm
damn that Schiano guy for bringing in those Rutgers players! Belicheat sure seems to like them too. Best of luck to you Tim and hopefully Glennon can join you in NE too. Will laugh my ass off at some of the posters here if Glennon is throwing TD’s to Wright (after Brady retires) and Bucs fans lament yet another former Buc finding success on the Patriots.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:52 pm
LOViED the future this guy had, but would have taken a good coach to get his full potential. Maybe one day they’ll shed some LICHT on what Bucs were thinkin w the trade.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:53 pm
This young man shows a lot of class and solid character.
Notice how he speaks about accountability without saying the word.
No doubt the trade happened because the Bucs were desperate for a serviceable guard.
But let’s keep it real. Any tight end would look good on the Patriots with the Gronk drawing double and sometimes triple coverage and Tom Brady tossing you an under inflated ball.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Pickgrin, if you think Freeman had it bad, listen to how Kurt Ramsey speaks about Mike Martz and Ramsey was actually putting all the time in to being a good QB.
If Freeman was getting yelled at, it may have been because he was getting so lackadaisical about his game.
January 29th, 2015 at 4:12 pm
Don’t get me wrong ddneast – Freeman’s collapse was all on him. Some coaches ride their players hard and they do so with the intention of trying to get the best out of that player. If Schiano made life hard for Freeman – then it was Freeman’s job to man up and take it and do his best to work hard and keep improving if he wanted to be an NFL Quarterback. Apparently he didn’t – and its probably because he started hating coming to work every day and didn’t have enough internal fortitude to deal with it like a responsible person would.
January 29th, 2015 at 4:19 pm
It’s like talking about a bad date when you bring up the Bucs. Talk about perception!
January 29th, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Revis, Bennett, Blount, Tim Wright, and Talib must all be so happy the Buvs got rid of them. What did we get in return for all these guys….?
January 29th, 2015 at 4:24 pm
*Bucs.
And yes, I know Talib is on the Broncos now and not playin this weekend so please don’t get your panties in a bunch.
January 29th, 2015 at 4:37 pm
No unbelievable, but you wer probably one of the clods who was screaming for him to be let go, along with every person in the Tampa Bay Area media, for his persistent and nagging ability to get in trouble with the law.
January 29th, 2015 at 4:45 pm
Actually ddn, I was pissed about that trade.
I was pissed we let Bennett walk. Same with the non-use and then trade of Blount, for peanuts.
I was mad about trading Tim wright this year too.
And, wtf are clods?
January 29th, 2015 at 5:14 pm
Unbelievable, as an NFL farm team, we did our job: we got talent ready for the big league teams. We should probably get a winners share if New England wins Sunday, be a nice gesture from the big club.
January 29th, 2015 at 5:26 pm
nfl games are won through scouting, drafting proper and not making stupid trades more then they are coaching. we should have wright talib bennent luke k and sheldon richrdson on our squad and guess what… We are in the playoffs this year.
I know Lovie is a really good coach but, below average at everything else. Glazers put out more money and effort into the front office. That is where the wins are.
January 29th, 2015 at 5:36 pm
Lovie is not even a really good coach. Missing the playoffs more than twice as much as making it and having a .333 winning percentage against over .500 teams is not really good…it’s mediocre
January 29th, 2015 at 5:42 pm
Tim Wright, Legaurate Blunt, Michael Bennett, Akib Talib, and Darrell Revis left bucs to play in the Super Bowl. All that talent
January 29th, 2015 at 5:43 pm
This has to be one of the WORST Bucs trade ever. It still makes Harry want to PUKE!
January 29th, 2015 at 6:02 pm
Kurt Ramsey? Warner…
January 29th, 2015 at 6:03 pm
I repeat, if you had Gronk drawing double and triple team coverage and Tom Brady throwing you under inflated balls, Calvin McGee would look like an All Pro.
Clods = Idiots, which is being kind to a large number of philistines who post out here.
If you wanted to keep Talib unbelievable, then you belong to the club that meets in a phone booth.
Blount wasn’t only cut by the Bucs, but by the Titans and Steelers too. Besides, he disappeared in the AFC championship game last year.
Bennett decision was a clunker all around but the people responsible for thar are no longer here .
Besides as I have said repeatedly out here this year, Jacques Smith had as many sacks as Bennett this year and played half as many games.
Comprende=Understand.
January 29th, 2015 at 6:25 pm
ddneast
How does a lump of clay post to this site?
January 29th, 2015 at 6:45 pm
@OAR I was wondering the same thing. LOL. Ddn is just mad cuz I called him out yesterday for not being able to pull hot women.
ddn, No one said Wright is an all-pro. Blount wasn’t cut, he wasn’t traded.
And you were happy Talib was traded then? Sure didn’t sound like that in your first post when you just attacked my comment for no reason. Maybe you can explain to everyone here what your ‘club that meets in a phone booth’ is..
Bam. Roasted. 2 days in a row now. Go home kid.
January 29th, 2015 at 9:48 pm
Another idiotic Lovie move. Get rof all things Schiano. How’d that work out Lovie the Loser?
January 29th, 2015 at 10:44 pm
tgreg Says:
January 29th, 2015 at 9:48 pm
Another idiotic Lovie move. Got rid of all things Schiano. How did that work out for Lovie the Loser?
————————————————————————-
But, but,……….but; Glennon didn’t make anyone around him any better. (sarc)
Tim Wright, UDFA from Rutgers in 2013 (Note: no Gronkowski double-teams that year):
In 8 starts: 54 receptions for 571 yards, 5 TDs, and BTW, no fumbles.
ASJ, 2nd round draft pick in 2014:
In 9 starts: 21 for 221 yards, and 2 TDs. I also seem to remember at least one stupid penalty, and at least one costly fumble.
Traded Tim Wright for Logan Mankins, AND a 4th round pick.
Channeling my best ddneast: Sheep-skinned= FLEECED.
tickrdr
January 29th, 2015 at 10:45 pm
Tim wright
#Schiano Man
Schiano should’ve gotten a third year. Freewee’s mental breakdown cost two head coaches and one GM their job that year.
January 30th, 2015 at 1:57 am
He’s way better than JOE’s man beef ASJ.
January 30th, 2015 at 8:08 am
Just another stupid Lovie move.
January 30th, 2015 at 10:49 am
He is not sure, man.
January 30th, 2015 at 9:04 pm
Pats got the first pick of day 3 in the draft with that trade. You would have to think that there will be a player that slipped through round 3 that the Bucs would love to have or another team would love to trade up for….. Another fine fleece job by New England, the Glazers should install a call block feature for all call to/from the Pats on all phone lines associated with the Bucs to simply prevent more of these blatant robberies…..
January 31st, 2015 at 2:57 pm
Good luck Tim. May you score the winning TD.