The Countdown: 20 Worst Buccaneers Personnel Moves Of The Past 10 Years — No. 3
July 27th, 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. 3 — Gaines Adams
You just can’t bust on a No. 4 overall pick, which is what the Bucs did with Gaines Adams in 2007. The Clemson defensive end simply had no game.
A 2009 ESPN feature on Adams revealed he didn’t work too hard in the weight room, didn’t have nearly enough strength, and hadn’t developed pass rush moves. You can re-live that nightmare story here.
Joe remembers being appalled that Adams didn’t have the necessary work ethic in ’07 and ’08, despite shining examples of greatness around him in the Bucs locker room, and being part of winning teams and top-10 defenses.
Ironically, the Bears and Lovie Smith didn’t see Adams’ flaws and former Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik robbed Chicago when he traded Adams there for a second-round pick in October 2009. Adams died weeks later from a heart attack related to an enlarged heart.
No. 5 — Cutting Darrelle Revis
No. 8 — Da’Quan Bowers (2011 and 2013)
No. 9 — Re-Signing Blocking Icon Michael Clayton
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 27th, 2015 at 9:21 am
Def can agree with this!!!
July 27th, 2015 at 9:22 am
I was always under the impression his medical issues played a part in the work ethic issues. I have a feeling he knew something was wrong but kept it to himself.
July 27th, 2015 at 9:59 am
Doesn’t say much for Lovie’s eye for defensive talent.
July 27th, 2015 at 10:11 am
I remember watching him on a TD pass reply. He barely got pass the line of scrimmage, and that is with the OT standing up ready to backpedal for pass protection.
July 27th, 2015 at 10:44 am
he shined in the playoff game his rookie year and i remember thinking he might be great but he never worked in the off season. When we got a 2nd for him I thought we might be able to redeam ourselves but we took sabby with the pick… yikes.
RIP Gaines, you went way to soon!
July 27th, 2015 at 10:49 am
scratch that we got benn or price in the 2nd with the gaines pick. We got sabby with the booger trade. The 2007 draft was a disaster…. gaines, sears, sabby, and quincy.
July 27th, 2015 at 11:13 am
Mark Dominik robbed Chicago when he traded Adams there for a second-round pick in October 2009 and promptly wasted that pick and an additional 5th rounder to trade up and draft future bust Arrelious Benn.
-There I fixed it for you
July 27th, 2015 at 11:19 am
@ Tom S.
Nailed it!!!
Lol…
July 27th, 2015 at 11:26 am
Our last GM truly deserves to he number 1. Everyone seems to know that besides Joe.
July 27th, 2015 at 11:28 am
I think it’s funny that Dominik’s greatest move as GM was the fleecing of one of the people that would replace his regime.
So Dominik drafts Adams.
Adams sucks.
Lovie Smith and Co TRADE a SECOND ROUND PICK for a TERRIBLE DE.
Adams tragically DIES netting the Bears NOTHING in the trade.
Dominik uses the GIFT second round pick to draft Arellious BENN – DOUBLING DOWN ON CRAPPY DRAFT PICKS! (was that pick cursed or what?)
Dominik is fired.
Then, the Bucs see fit to hire one of the people dumb enough to trade for Adams in the first place…..?
This situation is so ironic, it might as well have been pulled straight from Alanis Morrisette’s uterus.
July 27th, 2015 at 11:49 am
Off topic (well sort of)
NFLN is showing it’s Top 10 FA busts of all time.
Alvin Harper is ranked #2.
July 27th, 2015 at 12:56 pm
@Whocares
I won’t spend time defending Dominik other than to say he wasn’t the worst.
Can you say Bruce Allen?
July 27th, 2015 at 1:08 pm
3. Making Raheem a HC
2. Hiring Greg Shiano
1. Rockstar GM Mark Dominick
July 27th, 2015 at 1:48 pm
the glazes put all of this in motion
July 27th, 2015 at 1:50 pm
We all realize that Jerry Angelo was the GM of the Bears, not Lovie right? I get that Lovie probably had influence in the move but in the end it’s the GM who buys the groceries and the coach who cooks the meal.
It’s bad enough to blame losses and poor execution on a coach but I think some people push it when they want to act like the guy is some sort of Bilichick Coach/GM guru and start hammering him for failed signings and trades. He’s not the GM.
July 27th, 2015 at 3:02 pm
I know that these athletes are typically in peak physical condition, but I cannot believe they don’t do screening cardiac evaluations; especially at least an echocardiogram (ultrasound test of the heart’s function and size, as well as a look at all of the valves in the heart) to look for occult abnormalities of the heart.
tickrdr
July 27th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Tom S….so you’re trying say Licht calls all the shots on the players that are brought in. How is that possible when Lovie was hired first and Lovie hired Licht?
Most of us were told a long time ago that Lovie would be doing most of the shopping and I believe he is.
July 27th, 2015 at 3:49 pm
Lovie didn’t have final say in Chicago. That was Angelo. Lovie has final say over the 53 man roster meaning the final cuts. The rest is handled by Licht with obviously an agreement between the two. Again, Lovie Smith is a coach with say over the final 53, he is not the GM and certainly wasn’t one in Chicago.
http://thepewterplank.com/2014/01/21/much-power-will-new-general-manager-jason-licht-tampa-bay-buccaneers/
July 27th, 2015 at 3:50 pm
@buc1987… i really don’t think schiano set us back. He was smart enough to know freeman was the franchise and had to clean up the morris mess. Its not like he set the franchise back, it was in horrible shape when he got here and a little better when he left. If only chip didn’t renig. Its not like any great coaches were coming to tampa if schiano didn’t take the job.
2 and 2a are rockstar and morris and #1 should be firing Gruden… if only Mr G was still around and stayed healthy.
July 27th, 2015 at 3:51 pm
@buc1987 and @toms… pretty good insight
July 27th, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Schiano was flawed, certainly not a great choice the Dominik and the Glazers. However, he got obliterated in part because of the Freeman fiasco. And at this point it’s pretty obvious that it was Freeman that was the problem all along.
Schiano was obviously put in a very, very tough position by a GM that let the game of chicken between he and Freeman go on too long and failed to get anything for the 25 year old (at the time) all-time Buccaneer passing leader in TD’s and 3rd in yards. Not getting anything for Freeman in a trade despite being on his rookie deal and letting things get toxic before pulling the plug was another great decision by our favorite “Rockstar” GM that never gets talked about. If you think about damage to the franchise in the post-2000’s that has to rank up there along with the MRSA of course.
July 27th, 2015 at 4:12 pm
Howards prediction:
#2) Letting Michael Bennett walk
#1) Firing awesome rock-star GM Mark Dominick
July 27th, 2015 at 4:55 pm
ugh…bowers is back
July 27th, 2015 at 5:58 pm
Well letting Bennett walk has not made it on the list yet. So I expect that to be in one of the top 3.
July 27th, 2015 at 11:13 pm
Buc1987
Yup- exactly
3) hiring Raheem
2)over promoting Raheem to head coach
1) Mark Dominicks Dark reign of terror and Stupidity as a GM. Absolutely wasted years. Wasted
July 27th, 2015 at 11:16 pm
Although Howards “firing awesome Rockstar GM Mark Dominick” is probably what We’ll see