The Countdown: 20 Worst Buccaneers Personnel Moves Of The Past 10 Years — No. 10
July 19th, 2015
It’s the countdown feature you’ve all been waiting for. Not really, but on the heels of last year’s award-winning “20 Worst Buccaneers Of The Past 10 years” feature, Joe had to deliver.
A list like this is highly subjective and toxic. Fits of rage were common during production meetings at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters. Scared interns soiled their pants. Full beer bottles were smashed, and a treasured Rachel Watson poster was accidently destroyed. But order was restored.
Current and former general managers and head coaches might not like what’s coming, but it had to be done. This is what happens when your team is 30-70 in its last 100 games.
No. 10 — Eric Wright
When the Bucs signed cornerback Eric Wright as the free agency dinner bell rang in March 2012, Wright was a B-list talent with a shady past. But the Bucs paid Wright A-list money.
It was Pro Bowl money for a guy who had never been close to being a Pro Bowler — $15 million+ guaranteed, and his contract was for about $37 million over five years.
What was most comical about this signing is it came when Greg Schiano and former Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik were preaching about “Buccaneer Men,” well behaved character guys that would shape the organization going forward.
Six months later, Wright was suspended four games for substance abuse. Wright also was arrested twice before his Bucs career ended.
When the 2012 Bucs — still in the playoff hunt with a 6-7 record — headed to New Orleans for an epic slaughter, 41-0, Wright took to Twitter a day earlier to tell his followers he was off to a California spa for the weekend for shopping and dining because he needed a change of pace.
What a Buccaneer Man!
Did Joe mention the Bucs’ 2012 secondary was ranked last in the NFL and just missed being the worst in league history. Wright made 10 starts for that group.
There were two good things about Wright. The Bucs escaped paying him half his guaranteed money because of the drug suspension. And then there was this one play at the Meadowlands, one of the best individual efforts in team history. Joe can’t take that away from Wright, who retired after the 2013 season.
No. 11 — Michael “Ghost” Johnson
No. 13 — Free Agent Inactivity After 10-6, 2010 Season
No. 14 — Scaredy Cat Dexter Jackson
No. 16 — Choosing — And Drafting For — The Jim Bates Defense
No. 17 — Drafting Cadillac Williams Over DeMarcus Ware
July 19th, 2015 at 10:41 am
That play in the Meadowlands reminded me how much I miss the “old” Buc unis. They were a marvel. A pox on the knuckleheads that chose the current hideous unis.
Ugh.
July 19th, 2015 at 10:43 am
That was a pure sand-lot football move there. I bet Claiborne liked finally throwing Eli down at the goal line there.
July 19th, 2015 at 10:53 am
Ditto on the uniforms. I just got a new Evans jersey and it just looks wrong. The other jerseys were more aggressive. Put the right players in the second-gen uniforms and they looked downright terrifying.
I suppose only time will tell with the new players.
July 19th, 2015 at 11:50 am
Can I just skip to the number one worst mistake of the decade?
Drumroll please!
Mistake number one is…..
MARK DOMINIK!!!
Congrats “Rock Star”!!!
Your number ONE!!!
July 19th, 2015 at 11:50 am
Another Dominick move….with all of these….I would hope that “Hiring Mark Dominick ” would be #1….and “Not Firing Mark Dominick” would be #2.
July 19th, 2015 at 3:46 pm
TBBF- Lol.. agreed ,but I think that should be #2 and # 3…. #1 mistake…JERSEY CHANGE! Just kills me.
July 19th, 2015 at 5:23 pm
…and firing Gruden ranks behind this guy?
July 19th, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Fans will have to wait to see the dropped uniforms until possible throwback game use, if that option is still available. I remember some change being mentioned about playing in throwback uniforms, just not the actual details. These new uniforms will probably grow on fans with time and a winning outcome. I still don’t understand the reasoning for the change from the last fan popular uniform, the winning Super Bowl uniform.
July 19th, 2015 at 10:24 pm
I too hated the new uniforms, before I got my Winston jersey. Now I put it up to my old D. Martin jersey and I don’t think they look all that bad. I actually like them now. I agree when I first saw them,…I hated them. I guess it grew on me,…not a waste of money. Eric Wright…..a waste of money.
July 20th, 2015 at 10:19 am
it seemed like the e wright deal from the begining was…. we have $ so we are gonna spend it no matter who is there. Unfortunately we gave a bunch of $ to a soft pansy who was going to take the $ and be satisfied and not a pro. Wright though was not the same level blunder as the ghost and certainly not nearly as bad as giving Gru the axe
July 20th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
Wright is definitely up there. He was so insignificant I forgot the Bucs signed him.
But the jersey change has to be up there. I’ve been a fan since 1980, a season ticket holder since 2005, and I don’t and will ever own that God awful abomination of a jersey that looks like a 13 year old made it on NCAA 2003 Franchise Creator for Playstation 2.