“Build Through The Draft”
January 23rd, 2014
The new Bucs GM sounded familiar today
One of the hallmarks if not a catch phrase of the Bucs era under former rock star general manager Mark Dominik was “Build through the draft.”
Bucs fans, when hearing this, recoiled in outrage, angry that the Bucs did not have a win-now mentality and wanted to go through a rebuilding process. It didn’t help Dominik’s cause when he unloaded older players including the great Derrick Brooks.
Interestingly, few of the older players Dominik released prior to the 2009 season logged significant snaps elsewhere.
Joe in confident most Dominik haters never got over those early weeks and his philosophy of building through the draft, and they wanted him jettisoned virtually from the day he took over as general manager.
Joe is not playing a history lesson here, but swore he heard Dominik’s voice today at the introductory press conference for new Bucs general manager Jason Licht at One Buc Palace.
In his press conference, Licht proclaimed he believed the way to develop a lasting contender was to “build through the draft,” which Joe firmly believes is the smart course. Licht later said that you don’t try to sign the best free agents but those who deliver the best value.
Later, while meeting with the Bucs pen and mic club in the Bucs media workroom, Licht reinterated his beliefs, saying, “You find your starters in the draft and you find value in free agency.”
So Bucs fans who are still dancing with glee over Dominik’s ousting, Joe just hopes you remain consistent. It doesn’t seem like Licht is the type to go after the Vincent Jacksons or Carl Nicks of the NFL world.
January 23rd, 2014 at 3:52 pm
The Rockstar said “he builds through the draft” then trades for a TE with a high draft pick who everyone said that his knees are done. For A GM that was average draft selection was in the top 10 during his whole tenure, he was not very good. At least with the last regime they took over and salvage some good draft picks the last 2 years.
January 23rd, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Good. Goldson’s replacement in SF made the Pro Bowl this year as a rookie.
Build through the draft and enough with signing these overpriced free agents who drop off with big checks anyways.
With the exception of VJ, most of our recent FA signings haven’t lived up to the hype (Wright, Nicks, Goldson).
Its all about value in the NFL. Period.
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:01 pm
I’m confident at this point that Licht won’t be making unrockstar moves like trading a 2nd rounder for someone like K2.
I also think anyone who thinks you can build a team without good drafting is living in a fact-free universe. People get woodies over free agency, which I think is a fantasy football type mentality. I’ve never been a big fan. I agree with the philosophy of using FA to find value in supplementing the roster, but drafting comes first.
For the free-agency-fetishists, you can be happy in knowing the Licht was part of the front office that signed John Abraham, as so many on this here interwebs were clamoring for him to be a Buccaneer last year.
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:09 pm
Dan Snyder told me that the best way to win a Superbowl is by signing big free agents and trading all your picks for an QB 🙂
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Snook
You should add Revis to that list. $16 million and a 1st&3rd. Keenan Lewis played just fine for the Saints and was cheaper and they didn’t have to give up picks. Look at the stats for 2013 he played better.Lewis’ contract is for 5 years, $26 million with $10.5 million guaranteed. Dom was an idiot
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:12 pm
Joe,
Fans are “irked” because you put Freeman on a pedestal during his 61 starts. Some fans, who you call the “MGM” believe that the Freemanites are still better and have no problem passing QB judgement (wrong again?) on Glennon after only 13 starts…
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:24 pm
DontBucNH8
I agree
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:27 pm
Everyone tries to build through the draft.
Not a single team will be staying home for the big event in May.
Rock didn’t invent it, and it will go on in his absence.
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:30 pm
Redskins?
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:35 pm
The skins traded picks to do what?
Pick a guy in the NFL Draft!
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:37 pm
Much as future Hall of Fame linebacker deserves our admiration and respect, watching him limp up and down the field his last year was painful to watch. He got out at the right time and still has his health.
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Just read that Licht said he wont be doing any contract negotations or cap management…. Im guessing Greenberg will have those duties?
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:45 pm
Part of the reason the rock star is gone was because, with a few exceptions, his drafts were bad. Had we drafted better from 2009-2011, he might still be here.
January 23rd, 2014 at 4:56 pm
What team doesn’t try to build through the draft?
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:01 pm
I like this guy and have good feelings about him. I like how he answered the trap questions today from the IDIOT reporters about who has final say on matters. I feel he shut them up and put them in their place in a very polite well thought out manner. It kills me how so much of the press dwells on negativity and conflict.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:03 pm
I thought the Rockstar did a great job the past 2 off seasons. Brought in great talent through free agency and the draft. Problem was Schiano schemes and coaching.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Cowboys.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:05 pm
So he wont hand over millions to a fatty that has played about 5 games in the past two seasons? Oh that’s too bad. <—-Sarcasm
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:22 pm
Here’s to the anti-rock star.
And, hopefully there’s no silly monikers attached to this guy. Besides maybe, “winner” or “playoff bound GM”.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Hopefully we supplement with tillman, Hester, and Bennett! Then draft offense or BPA first round. Honestly though, I’m just happy we finally have a team that isn’t going to be the laughing stock of the NFL anymore. It’s hard enough to be a bucs fan in Indy, but with the fact that we have been bad the past 5 years with a relatively good roster has just been so hard to watch.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:25 pm
The problem i had with the 2009 fiasco of building through the draft was that they gutted that team of talent. Derrick Brooks cut for Geno Hayes? Joey Galloway, Warrick Dunn, etc etc. Come on, could have left a leader or two in the place…maybe they wouldn’t have had to start all over again in 2011…
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:41 pm
David
Exactly not to mention we should of kept Jeff Garcia instead of getting Leftwhich for Josh to sit behind lol
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:43 pm
He said he’ll get the players that are best for the team.
That may well be an elite caliber player whose available.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:44 pm
Also,
I had no problem with the “build through the draft” mantra. In fact, I support it. My problem was the ramshackle hut of which Dominick built*.
I’m hoping Licht is more of a brick and mortar type guy.
*Of course he had some hits, with draft picks that high, it’s impossible not to get lucky at least some of the time.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:56 pm
I agree, and have always agreed, that you build a lasting contender through. But in order for that formula to work you have to have more hits than misses, especially in the first few rounds. Unfortunalty Dom had more misses than hits.
January 23rd, 2014 at 5:56 pm
hopefully Licht will have better luck.
January 23rd, 2014 at 6:18 pm
Joe u are too smart to be killing your cred backing dom mate-
January 23rd, 2014 at 7:17 pm
we have picks this year in rounds..
1
2
4
5
7
this team has mortaged it’s future since the late 90’s
got a SB…but paid…and has contnued to have paid a high price with shark loan consequenses since….
January 23rd, 2014 at 7:27 pm
Everything needs to be done through the draft imo. Adding big name talent in free agency and not making the playoffs is wasteful as far as I’m concerned. Big name talent only needs to be brought in when a team is ready to make a run. Of course some might think differently, but that’s how I see it.
January 23rd, 2014 at 7:34 pm
That’s what everyone thinks and tries to do.
January 23rd, 2014 at 8:04 pm
Wally-Because Brooks played with a pulled hamstring he deserved to be cut unceremoniously a year before his contract was up. I just will never agree that a man that did so much for this town and organization deserved to be disrespected like that but you are welcome to your own opinion.
January 23rd, 2014 at 8:41 pm
Orca
Bet you were doing the Humpty dance last year after we signed those FA’s.
For the free-agency-fetishists. yeahrightsure.,
January 23rd, 2014 at 11:44 pm
@INDYbucsfan
Try living and shopping and working in Flowery Branch Ga home of the falcons. Running into falcons players & coaches at publix/krogers/target/home depot/greens tavern is fun in my BUCS gear. Sometimes tough to put up with the ribbing and questions I get. But it is all in fun. Even on game week.
January 23rd, 2014 at 11:57 pm
It’s beginning to sound like Glazer believes you build through the draft. You think?
January 24th, 2014 at 1:08 am
Joe made — and still makes — no secret he was a Dominik guy.
Did he make mistakes? Yeah, sure. Drafting Freeman (which Joe was against but no one envisioned the meltdown) and trading for Winslow (could have had Tony Gonzalez for the same price).
Sadly, Dominik was caught in the Schiano wash.
The last time the Bucs drafted a few studs that Dominik drafted was someone by the name of Sam Wyche.
January 24th, 2014 at 1:26 pm
it’s a great philosophy….if you actually draft well. the bucs never really deviated from that, unfortunately their drafts between about 1997 and 2009 were almost universally awful and produced no players worth sending to hawaii regularly or building a contender around.
January 24th, 2014 at 1:38 pm
dominik made a career’s worth of bad GM decisions in his first year. jermaine phillips to WLB, the quincy black and mike clayton contracts, the raheem morris hire (not all on him), and a draft class that has completely left the building. the one that still kills me above all others: sign leftwich, draft freeman in the 1st, give all the preseason reps to mccown\leftwich…then ditch mccown and throw your totally unprepared QB into the fire a few weeks into the season.
dominik certainly improved in the years since, but he never could find the right coach to lead the roster he built and he did not create enough competition for unproven players he liked\believed in as potential starters. dominik is an ace cap manager, bold in the trade market, great with the media, and apparently something clicked by the end when it came to the draft also. i think with those qualities he would be on my shortlist for interviews if i were an owner in need of a GM
January 24th, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Schiano’s eye for talent was the only thing that made Dom look like he’d actually accomplished something here in these last 2 years drafts lol.