The Countdown: 20 Worst Personnel Moves Of The Past 10 Years — No. 13
July 15th, 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. 13 — Free agent inactivity after 10-6, 2010 season
Many Bucs fans would sell their souls for a 10-6 record with a young roster and a thriving young QB.
Hell, if that happened this season or next, there might just be a freakin’ parade down Dale Mabry Highway.
The Bucs had that kind of team in 2010, but few seemed to care enough. The Bucs were one bad call against the Lions from making the playoffs and an 11-5 record, which would have kept the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers at home for the postseason.
But the Bucs’ front office not only decided against upgrading the team in 2011 free agency, they denied Raheem Morris the return of Barrett Ruud and Cadillac Williams. Those were veterans the runner-up for Coach of the Year wanted to keep in the face of a lockout shortened offseason.
Why did the Bucs pass on significant additions, outside of signing Michael Koenen? (if you can call a punter “significant”)
Middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, for example, was out there for the taking (at nearly the same price the Bucs re-signed undeserving Quincy Black.) No, the Bucs weren’t bidding for Posluszny, the eventual 2013 Pro Bowler. Instead, they decided to draft Mason Foster and start him out of position as a rookie at middle linebacker, without the benefit offseason work.
Is that how you manage a team on the cusp?
There were other free agents worth the risk, as well. And yes, Joe was on the Posluszny bandwagon back then.
Yeah, the Bucs didn’t need seasoned, inspirational third-down back Cadillac Williams to help Josh Freeman. Oh, no, they had The Great Lumpkin in their sights, a Ted Thompson reject from Green Bay.
Joe could go on.
Joe has heard folks blame the 2011 edition of Team Glazer for not releasing the checkbook from the company vault. Joe can’t confirm that, but it’s awfully strange that the Bucs decided to become major league spenders just a year later.
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 15th, 2015 at 12:02 pm
This series is starting to make me Sad Joe.
July 15th, 2015 at 12:12 pm
Inaction….just as bad as actions that turn out badly.
This is another expample of Dominick’s incompetence.
July 15th, 2015 at 12:28 pm
If Joe had done this series without a bias view, it would have been the ” 20 worst Dominik moves that no other GM could match “!!!!!
but instead we are going to hear excuses like ” injuries, he was following instructions, and my personal favorite ” it was just bad luck” !!!!!
July 15th, 2015 at 1:23 pm
Hard for me to blame Dom for all that. Glazers obviously clamped down on the budget in the face of a new CBA that was expected to drive down labor costs.
July 15th, 2015 at 1:24 pm
I still can’t believe firing Jon Gruden was so low on this list!
July 15th, 2015 at 1:44 pm
Colorado- I agree that should be #1 bone headed move ever! besides the hire of lovie smith.
July 15th, 2015 at 2:19 pm
@cover deuce
Then it was Dom’s job to tell his boss, That even though the record showed 10-6 they were not fielding a competetive team! And that the Panther’s did the tank job of all tank jobs (2 wins) and in the final game the Saints were pulling starters in the second quarter to rest for the playoffs! And the Bucs faced a record number of third sting and fourth string QB’s all year long. inspite of all the this luck, they were still 3rd in the division!!!!!
funny name by the way! does it mean that lovie is running the cover “crap” defense???
July 15th, 2015 at 3:22 pm
Every Bucs fan and their mother were calling for Gruden’s head including the legions of Bucs fans that pledged their love to Gruden after our Super Bowl win. It’s really easy to play the hindsight game but both Dungy and Gruden were run out of this town when the fans and organization thought their welcome was worn out. Gruden was a great motivator and squeezed the most out of his roster but he fell in love with every QB he saw and was terrible with scouting. Bruce Allen was turning the roster into a circus. Not quite as bad as Rockstar but very close.
July 15th, 2015 at 3:30 pm
I like and respect many of the regular readers who comment on this site, but there are also a number that really make me shake my head. If our entire fan base were like some of you, the worst decision ever made by the NFL would be awarding Tampa an NFL franchise. I know everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I swear some people on here don’t deserve to have a home town team! This is not targeting anyone on this thread specifically. I am just meaning in general based on what I have read in the past on these comments.
July 15th, 2015 at 3:38 pm
Anyone who wants the real story behind the gr8 checkbook lockdown of 2011 need look no further than what was going on with the Glazer’s other team, Man U.
July 15th, 2015 at 4:33 pm
@rayjay
Feelin’ your pain….some don’t deserve a team and certainly don’t know what being a fan is……sure, you can be negative and even complain on occaision….but to never, and I mean never find a positive….now that is simply sad.
July 15th, 2015 at 4:41 pm
Was it really a checkbook lockdown when Dom resigned Quincy Black, Trueblood, Joseph and signed others? Dom just signed the wrong players,like usual.
July 15th, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Also, Gruden’s salary was still on the books through 2011.
But, yes, we were crazy to not go after Paul Posluszny. And also Johnathan Joseph.
July 15th, 2015 at 5:36 pm
@The Buc Realist
Yup, I picked this handle right after the MNF Falcons debacle.
July 15th, 2015 at 5:37 pm
I accept any posters comment as free speech whether I disagree with it or not. Most all are Buc fans, I’m sure I irk Joe and others with some off topic and off the wall comments at times. What bothers me is a particular poster who repeatedly states “the morons who post out here”, like he is a genius. I missed it.
July 15th, 2015 at 6:00 pm
it’s awfully strange that the Bucs decided to become major league spenders just a year later.
Not really. See Man U. The Glazers bought one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world…ON CREDIT…they leveraged everything and went for the home run.
Sucked for us as Buc fans but gotta give me credit…after coming pretty close to failure thanks to the Great Crash of 08 and the resultant disastrous economy…but they hung on and now they’ve pulled it off.
And NOW they have money again to spend on the Bucs. 10-6 baby!
July 15th, 2015 at 6:00 pm
me=them LOL
July 15th, 2015 at 6:16 pm
CMURDA
Thats sounds good-But for ALL of US that were pissed the F*k Off when he was fired; aint nothing changed.
Any Kat that was TBO at the time, can testify how I went ape$h*t crazy, when Gru was released.
July 15th, 2015 at 6:32 pm
One of the main things that I Luv about this site
When It comes to opinions on draft picks & other personnel decisions. Is that the Joe’s archive everything-no revisionist history here buddy. Either U said it or U didn’t.
July 15th, 2015 at 7:13 pm
Remember other guys, were in play not just Posluszny.
-RT
RT Doug Free
-DT/DE
Jacob Ford
Jason Babin
-LB
Stephen Tulloch
-Corner(s)
Johnathan Joseph
Antonio Cromartie
July 15th, 2015 at 7:23 pm
Off Topic.
I have never watched “Draft Day”. I am about to do do with the Mrs. I wonder how I am going to feel about the last ten yrs of Bucs’ drafting After the movie.
July 15th, 2015 at 7:33 pm
The Bucs actually started 2011 off 4-2 and was in 1st place in the NFC South and then they lost their final 10 games of the season. Rah didn’t really do a bad coaching job, the Bucs just didn’t have enough depth to compensate for the injuries.
July 15th, 2015 at 7:34 pm
@Buc-A-New
Knock down one of those amazing Edibles before U do
July 15th, 2015 at 7:40 pm
ROTFLMMFAO Luv. Thanks man. I will make sure Im prepared. What up Lakeland Buc my Homie!
July 15th, 2015 at 7:41 pm
Amazing how much Colorado’s Crime Rate Has Dropped-Post Legalization
July 15th, 2015 at 7:43 pm
Time to hit the the Gym…Peace!
July 15th, 2015 at 7:44 pm
Hey LakelandBuc. I know we have already had convos but I graduated in 87 from LHS. If I were to drop names from back then I’m sure you wouldn’t know what I was saying.
July 15th, 2015 at 8:26 pm
84……………………..Dam you 87!!!!
July 15th, 2015 at 9:43 pm
LUVMYBUCS Says:
July 15th, 2015 at 7:41 pm
“Amazing how much Colorado’s Crime Rate Has Dropped-Post Legalization”
Yet the biggest advocate who fought for it to be legal for ten years, came to Florida telling lawmakers here that it was a mistake…
Don’t believe me…google it.
July 15th, 2015 at 9:54 pm
87…………. What does that have to do with Anything ?
Oh……..And how does the “cat playing while the mouse is away” going?
July 16th, 2015 at 5:49 pm
Ya this had everything to do w the Glazer’s, I’d love to hear Dominic come out some day and admit that. They owed several billion for Man U and were running that team cheap too. Which was why we kept playing in London… except aside from a few loony fans, everyone there hated us bc the Glazers were running them aground.
By the way, how is this any different than us starting rookies at other high leverage positions this year? … say Left Tackle
July 16th, 2015 at 6:41 pm
I have to say that this list could be made up almost exclusively of moves Mark Dominik made. Or moves “he was told to make”. But I feel like if Marvin Lewis was held onto this long by “Da Bengals”, y couldn’t we be more patient with Gruden? He made us competitive every year. Must be something else. But not sure about that either becuz if there were truly bad blood there…Gruden wouldn’t come back everytime we’ve asked him to for our ceremonies and such. So I’m stumped.
July 16th, 2015 at 7:47 pm
After the Glazers fired Gruden, they moved quickly to promote Raheem because he interviewed for the Broncos HC job and they panicked thinking he would be another Mike Tomlin. But Raheem was doomed to fail with the roster he was given to work with. How many coaches would have won with that roster? Even in 2010 they caught a few lucky breaks and won some games they shouldn’t have. After Raheem got fired that’s when the new NFL rule about spending 85% of the salary cap kicked in, and the Glazers went on free agency spending sprees and the team has gotten worse ever since.
July 17th, 2015 at 2:08 pm
Raheem the Dream was a way better coach then ol Rutger boy Schiano