The Rhinoceros In The Room
October 23rd, 2017
All season long, and all yesterday afternoon, Joe got pounded on Twitter and by text and email about the Bucs’ notorious 2017 finger wag in free agency.
Joe’s talking about Jaguars defensive tackle Calais Campbell and his 10 sacks through the first seven games of this season.
In the offseason, general manager Jason Licht and his personnel team determined the Bucs needed a boost in the interior of their defensive line. Joe and many others agreed long before Licht every revealed his desire as the free agency dinner bell rang in March.
Go get versatile manbeast Pro Bowler Campbell in free agency, cried Joe, Ira Kaufman and The Commish repeatedly.
CBS Sports alleged the Bucs were sniffing Campbell (made sense), but in the end Campbell went to Jacksonville without ever even talking to the Jaguars coach or GM. He looked at Jacksonville’s defensive talent and the $15 million per season on the table, and signed the contract.
Licht signed Chris “Swaggy” Baker instead, a deal that delivered $6 million this season.
The Jags got a franchise-changing player. What the Bucs got was an out-of-shape and banged up guy with a second rate work ethic, a guy who is producing little, complaining loudly and displaying an overall attitude that clashes horribly with the team-first approach demanded by the face of the franchise.
Joe let the Campbell thing go a while ago, but many fans can’t since Campbell keeps ringing up sacks the way the Bucs defense coughs up big plays. Campbell’s 10 sacks stand tall above the Bucs’ team total of seven.
Dirk Koetter said the Bucs couldn’t afford Campbell. Pffft! Joe countered saying the Bucs couldn’t afford to put potential salary cap management ahead of pressing needs. Keyword there is “potential,” since promising players are as prone to serious injuries and production slips as anyone else.
In the end, any Campbell crying and moaning is really about Baker being a non-factor.
Joe would suggest trading Baker before next week’s NFL trade deadline, but Joe knows Baker’s market value is so flimsy the Bucs are better off keeping him and hoping he shuts up and produces.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:29 am
Who?
Fatty Baker or GMC????????
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:29 am
This is Licht’s MO since day 1, when he let donald penn waltz out the building and then try and get creative with every pick from round 2 on and its looked like the results are garbage…..where did the bucs lack last year? DE, RB, OL…what did licht do? draft snoops fall guy at RB and another fatty on the DL…. = 7-9
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:32 am
Jason Licht is pinching his pennies to re-sign Jameis and ME13………..no brainer here Joe
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:38 am
15 mil for a guy who is on pace for 30 sacks this season? C’mon, thats robbery, especially when we entered the offseason ONLY $40+ mil under the cap. We need that cap room to sign 3 (and counting) kickers this year.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:40 am
until they move on from the face of the basement years captain clown no matter who they would have or will bring would not be successful. the losing culture is the first thing GMC introduces and indoctrinates all new comers. His first conversation is “hey we take it easy here in tampa town. no winning or trying to hard is allowed. just do enough to make it to the bank monday morning. do you understand me!!!
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:43 am
TheBucsAnthem:
You probably are correct, but the Bucs are in excellent cap shape.
The Bucs have the 8th most cap space for 2018 at $45MM
and have the third most in 2019 at $89MM
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:46 am
I would’ve loved the signing, but we’re all assuming he would be just as effective in our soft ass defense.
I have seen zero evidence to assume he would produce as well under the garbage defensive game plans we’ve put forward.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:49 am
The sad truth is that it takes two willing partners to make a successful merger, if players do not want to play in Tampa it sure is difficult to sign them to play here. That sux to come to grips with but it is what apeares to be the case for us. Players are taking less $ to play for another team, This should cause the Blazers to
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:49 am
Licht’s mistakes are piling up.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:52 am
Glazers to show some concern as their product is not causing top players to want to come play here with the messiah and his O’ disciples. Worry? Me Worry? No way.
Go Bucs!
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:52 am
Campbell probably would have 10 sacks for us. I said when we sign Baker. Baker can’t help anyone on this team and his bad practice rubs off on younger players
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:52 am
I’m tired of reading this garbage, Campbell doesn’t play here, I’m sure you could make an allpro team of all the guys we didn’t sign it draft. His situation in Jax is different, probably why he went there, they are a better defensive unit than we are. Either way I don’t care. I’m a Bucs fan, don’t care about a Jag, even if he sets the record for sacks in a season.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:53 am
If we could sign Jackson AND Baker AND Ward….Campbell was affordable. Jackson is a legit threat but the dude is a distraction from what Jameis does well and I question Jacksons production in the run game. Personally I would rather see Godwin being happy having a role then Winston trying to feed everyone. And obviously would rather have Campbell disrupting with McCoy which makes the other levels of the defense look better.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:53 am
I mean Campbell would not gave 10 sacks for us
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:53 am
GMC IS THE REASON CAMPBELL IS NOT A BUC
“Kobe, Why do you say that” The Buc Realist
“Because GMC is a spoiled, self centered brat that didnt want to share the limelight and be the 2nd best with the more productive Campell….
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY
GMC KNEW WE WOULD CUT OR TRADED HIM IN 2018 because we would not been abled to keep 2!!!”
Kobe player evaluator Faker
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:53 am
Anthem
cap space should be the LEAST of lichts concern unless he is being told by ownership Do Not spend to WIN… Even paying winston and evans the bucs are fine. A shrewd cap guy can make it work out. The reason the CBA has a minimum salary cap is partly because of the pathetic owners who neglected the roster for a decade while paying down man u debt… the only thing licht needs to worry about is stock piling TALENT with a DRIVE TO WIN and riding this team of complacent losers in captain roles.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:56 am
Kobe is exactly right. why come play with a clown like mccoy… every big name defender they have brought in some with proven playoff experience has choked or regressed playing next to the big clown. we blame numerous gms and coaches yet the one constant through all of it is the big softee who receives a free pass from all…
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:58 am
This team needed at the first of free agency and the draft a pass rusher and a
stud running back. It still does! If Licht doesn’t get them then he needs glasses.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:01 am
We didn’t sign bc Jason thinks Spence is a 12 sack guy this year… Joke.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:01 am
ITS all the $$$$
Everything somehow always comes to be about the $$$
DID we ever hear GMC try to push for FA Campbell? EVER? WHY?
GMC knew we would have to choose between either of them on 2018 because of salary cap reasons
“ITS ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS
Kobe Faker”
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:02 am
Conte- I often wonder if some of these guys are actual Buc fans! It’s OK to gripe, but geez!
Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve!!!
We are who we are. Right now a bad defense!
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:02 am
over the years multiple coach and gm combo’s have brought in at least 8 pro bowl defenders that regressed or flat out STUNK playing on a defensive unit captained by cancer93… people can not keep ignoring the facts.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:02 am
Licht may be gone next year, if the Bucs keep losing.
His contract is up at the end of the year.
This is the second time this year Hump has fumbled, and this one cost us the game.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:06 am
Bucsfanman
raise your standards fine sir. So we are not fans because we do not choose to ignore the obvious facts that you and some of the other gmc fanboys conveniently forget. the fact is too many times under the captaincy of gmc the defense has came out flat or unprepared. it’s the captain’s responsibility to lead on the field if that responsibility is too difficult or the player is not capable of handling the responsibility the C should be removed. i think there is enough evidence to prove gmc is no captain
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:06 am
GMC didnt want Campbel as a BUCl this year on 2017,
because GMC knew he would be traded and we would have kept only Campell on 2018
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:09 am
Trade McCoy as I have not been a fan since day one but never have I said we would be better off without him. Today is the day I make the leap to saying with him we are trash so we can easily be trash without him. Trade him and his bloated salary for a 2nd round (or 1st if we can get it) that way we have a ton or room in cap space and more picks to use to rebuild this defense. Try to trade Ward and Baker as well but I am sure we would not get much, if anything, for either one of them. I am not thrilled with the Mike Smith defense but to be fair our personnel is nothing like what he was successful with in Jax and I don’t mean talent I mean style. He had a huge defensive line that just acted like a wall and we have one fast DT who just runs up field every play, a NT that does really nothing, a DE who is clearly done cause he is not good at anything, another DE who is a 100% one dimensional player, and lastly a 3rd down pass rush DE who is always hurt and cant really rush the passer. How does that compare to a brick wall like Dline that he had in Jax that actually did their job and played together? We have a bunch of me first players on this defense and maybe that was Lichts biggest mistake. He brought a bunch of me first players into a team that had good culture at the end of last year. Think about it, D-Jax is all about touches, Ward is already complaining which would be ok accept he has gotten roasted twice in the past two games (how do you open your mouth after that) and Baker well all he cares about is grinding on trees why would he care about practice. This is why we look different this year we have me first players on this team and you cannot win with me first players. Lastly McCoy is trying to get up field and make plays when all he is doing to creating holes, what he should be doing it tying up as many guys as he can at the line and let the backers do their job but nope it is all about getting those 1st quarter sacks and then having nothing left in the 4th quarter to contribute.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:09 am
Some of this has to be Kharma, Dirk and Licht really starting getting arrogant after putting up a winning(not Playoff) season. I noticed in the interviews and press conferences,the whole Roy Cummings questioning the pass rush tirade
how they treated snoop Mc playbook and then getting pissed when he was smarter than they thought and declined our practice squad. Moving guys around screwing them up. Cutting hurt players. Just saying!
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:13 am
denjoe
the palyers are paid to do a job not to be coddled… i can’t believe people like you exist. winning is more important than feelings and pansy arse karma…. they are not little leaguers their feelings are less than meaningless bunch of babies need to earn their money…
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:13 am
denjoe
by the way when did the Hippie Tent Camp get Internet Access
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:17 am
Trade McCoy while he still has value. He’s not elevating the talent here. Never has. Get a 2nd rounder for him and move on.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:17 am
“we didn’t have 15 million laying around for Calais Campbell..”
These are the words that may get Koetter fired.
Shoulda signed AJ Bouye as well.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:18 am
tmaxcon Says:
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:13 am
denjoe
When did Mc Coy do your Mom?
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:24 am
denjoe
he probably does like banging the dead its less work
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:27 am
There is a laundry list of productive NFL free agents that would have fit under the salary cap and been productive for the bucs esp on defense, yet licht thinks he is a cooky crafy guy and top 2 NFL talent evaluator, well news flash, licht you are not, he shoulda shoved mccoy off from the get grabbed some picks, (he would have squandered them) but…reggie nelson was available when bucs desp neeeded safety help and CC for the DL…but bucs get a fat lazy DT and a safety that has since been traded….MISMANAGEMENT and bucs are losers again
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:32 am
@tmax- My standards are fine. The point is that there’s no use in pining for a guy that isn’t here. It makes the fact that we looked elsewhere (Baker) even more disheartening. “Fans” in this reference applies to people who root for their home team. I’m not in Jax. so I don’t give a crap about Calais. I’m in Tampa Bay, I’m concerned about what WE have. Don’t read into it. You know you have your issues, don’t compound them! LOL!
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:34 am
tmaxcon Says:
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:24 am
denjoe
he probably does like banging the dead its less work
LMAO Good one!
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:44 am
Hey fanboys just follow the Licht, mmmkay?
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:48 am
Tmaxcon
Ur right once again. But they decided “let’s build around gmc” and the results is a defense soft ass him.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:49 am
Get the switch to 3-4 in motion…Linebackers to work with for the future…Gholston-Baker-McCoy up front…McCoy can become Lee Roy Selmon, hahaha haha ha ha
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:52 am
Jason Licht has the same kind of hubris that Mark Dominick did when it came to defensive ends on this team. Dominick believed Da’Quon bowers was good enough and didn’t bother to sign Michael Bennett. Jason Licht believed Ayers and Spence were good enough and didn’t bother to seriously court Campbell.
Dirk can talk all he wants about the Bucs not being able to afford Campbell but we all know that isn’t true.
October 23rd, 2017 at 10:58 am
I think think over spent for djx baker ward etc. I can see we didn’t have the money. Too many bridge players out there. Now it looks worse cuz thesee new guys will shred this team w cancer
Gmc needs to step up and don’t let this happen. This is his team and got to put his foot down
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:16 am
@Joe,
I think you should include Mike Smith in this discussion. One of the issues that created a rift between the Atlanta Falcons management, Arthur Blank and Dimitri off, and Mike Smith was Smith’s defensive philosophy of building a d-line from the inside-out vs outside in. Apparently, ownership and management was of the opinion that the team needed to invest in a defensive end. Smith was adamant that His schemes emphasis pressure from the inside not outside. Once Smith was out, the team did indeed spend a first round pick on a D-end.
Point is, the decision on Campbell may have included significant input from Mike Smith ‘re; how such an investment wasn’t necessary to be successful as scheme could trump talent.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:16 am
Baker has done nothing, brings nothing, and if he’s going to complain like he’s someone, cut him. Today. No down side to that, it’s not like they’ll be worse without him.
T.J. Ward on the other hand, I would stick in a room and have a discussion with. He has some points and some passion. Go through the film with him, grade him out against everyone else and then listen to his remedy plan to fix the defense. If it’s just “more playing time for T.J.” then screw him too.
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:28 am
about Jaguars defensive tackle Calais Campbell and his 10 sacks through the first seven games of this season…..
WOW!!!!!….WE CAN ONLY DREAM!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
October 23rd, 2017 at 11:53 am
Calais Campbell is also making the other players on the D-Line better. Last season they only had 33 sacks, even less than the Bucs 38. This season, This season they has 33 sacks in 7 games. You have to get quality ,experienced pass rushers on D-Line.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:26 pm
Duke
Obviously knows nothing about Mike Smith’s time in Atlanta. Hmm Mike Smith had Johm Abraham as an edge rusher in Atlanta, did pretty well too, not to mention later in his time he turned over the defense to Mike Nolan who ran a 3-4, this the lack of DE pass rushers. Oops facts got in the way of your Mike Smith hate.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:47 pm
@Conte Piscateli
Mike Smiths ATL Defenses ranged from average to well below average. Trending downward every year he was there. Check the facts if you dont believe.
As much as I was impressed by last years win streak, it’s becoming kind of apparent to me that it was a fluke.
Maybe I’m a little biased because I was against the Mike Smith hire to begin with. As I wanted Koetter to hire Jim Schwartz, and of course, Schwartz has been shining in Philly, while Mike Smith, apart from the 5 game stretch last year, and a game or 2 here and there, has been a disappointment.
October 23rd, 2017 at 12:51 pm
“Blake_Bucsfan, I accept your apology email you sent me”
Kobe Faker
October 23rd, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Jason Licht is the mastermind behind this team. When the team fails, he fails. He has been here for 4 years. And this team is 19-35 during those 4 years. It’s time for the Bucs to find a REAL GM.
October 23rd, 2017 at 1:39 pm
I didnt realize that our entire D Line is 30 or older. McCoy, Ayers, Baker, & McDonald. After the 1st offensive possession for Buffalo these guys all had hands on hips and breathing hard. I think they all are talents but not talented together. We need to get younger up front through the draft and possibly signing a FA or two that doesnt turn into Michael Johnson.
October 23rd, 2017 at 1:56 pm
@Kobe Faker
I sent no such email.
Oh btw weren’t you supposed to be “shreiking” naked somewhere?
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:09 pm
Yes, I was shrieking buc naked thru I4 before the plant city cops arrested me for public nudity and indecent exposure
I would like to thank posters Defense rules and Lakeland to bail me out
“How many missed belly flops did you see Kwonie make? 7? 8?”
Kobe Faker
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:10 pm
Pretty sure the Glazers put their foot down and said NO WAY are we paying $17M this year, $60M overall and $30M guaranteed to a 31 year old DL player who averages 40 tackles and 6.5 sacks per year throughout his career.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:35 pm
I saw about 3-4 missed tackles from Kwon.
Much more from the rest of the defense. Also saw far more busted plays by Grimes and the secondary than I did from the LB group as a whole.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:36 pm
And Pickgrin. If that’s true, then the Glazers only have themselves to blame for the oversight.
October 23rd, 2017 at 2:37 pm
Our culture is a finnese throw it team, not a run heavy playaction hard hitting defensive team
October 23rd, 2017 at 3:11 pm
He might have been afraid of boat ramps.
October 23rd, 2017 at 4:56 pm
Gotta love the Joe’s stirring the pot. The guy said he wanted to play for coughlin my god. Koetter saved face saying what he said. It was established we tried getting him and the very reason he didn’t wanna come here is what happened yesterday. This team finds ways to lose
October 23rd, 2017 at 5:18 pm
A lot of Free Agent players don’t want to come to Tampa. That’s why you should build through the draft. And that is what Jason Licht is not doing.
October 23rd, 2017 at 9:59 pm
Jason needs a strong team president.
Jason is average to slightly below.
Let’s hire 55 for the gm