Don’t Change, Jason
April 8th, 2014
When Mike Williams was shipped off to Buffalo Friday, it sure didn’t make the Bucs better (in April). A position that could have used fresh blood all of a sudden became a glaring need.
Two things disturbed Joe in recent weeks: maybe Mike Williams isn’t the best of neighbors (the one thing that wasn’t alleged against Williams was that he didn’t have a mongrel barking 24/7 and crapping all over people’s yards; he had that going for him) and how quickly fans turned on him for his petty crimes against humanity.
You would have thought Williams speed-bagged a cabbie going down the highway or blasted a teammate in the face with his helmet or pistol-whipped someone or fired a gun in anger in a nice neighborhood while thinking he was the Lone Ranger. Bucs fans absolutely turned on the guy.
Joe thinks that happened, in part, because so many Bucs fans are struck with the Sammy Watkins Fetish, and the best way for the Bucs to draft Watkins was to get rid of either Vincent Jackson or Williams, creating a hole in the roster. Since Williams seemed to have already had a step out the door, these same Bucs fans were only too happy to slam the door.
Joe has written before he has no issue with Watkins. None. But Joe wouldn’t draft him because there are bigger needs and since the draft is so lousy with wide receivers, you can get quality and value later in the draft.
So, no, the exit of Williams wouldn’t change Joe’s thinking about how to attack the draft, if Joe were Bucs general manger Jason Licht, who is all about value.
Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski is of the same mind. He believes, too, Licht should stay the course.
Prior to the trade of Williams to the Bills, I thought there was already a good chance the Bucs would go with either Clemson’s Sammy Watkins or Texas A&M’s Mike Evans, if either was available. To take it a step further, I didn’t think then, and still don’t think now, that it is out of the realm of possibility that the Bucs double up on receiver in this deep draft at the position.
While receiver is undoubtedly a need of the Buccaneers, it is not their only need. It is also not the only direction they could go in the 1st round.
Because this draft is so loaded at receiver, the Bucs can go in a different direction in the 1st round if the receiver they covet is off the board, and still get a very talented receiver in round 2. Depending on how the 1st round plays out, receivers like USC’s Marqise Lee, FSU’s Kelvin Benjamin, Penn State’s Allen Robinson, and Ole Miss’ Donte Moncrief could all be available when the Bucs pick in round 2. The 3rd round will have another group of talented receivers as well, which could include a couple names mentioned before.
Joe has been writing for months if Robinson, projected to be at worst a late-second-round pick, slips, the Bucs, now with a third-round pick, should be all over him like a cheap suit. The Bucs have bigger fish to fry than selecting Watkins at No. 7, though Joe wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
We all know who Joe would pick at No. 7. If somehow who this mystery player has slipped your mind, Joe will help spring your memory.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:08 am
Honestly I was fed up of almost every player on last year’s 4-12 team. I wanted all of them out the door.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:09 am
Understandable.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:17 am
Joe. Agree with your football points but not MW.
“his petty crimes against humanity.”
This is Florida man!!!! It’s stand your ground! Some poor dude got blown away earlier for the horrid crime of texting during previews! Trayvon Martin got blown away for the act of walking in his father’s neighborhood with skittles.
MW is truly lucky all of his shenanigans didn’t escalate into a shooting.
Folks this is Florida!!! You MUST assume everybody is packing heat and if you hack them off you could be shot indiscriminately…especially if your black!
April 8th, 2014 at 10:18 am
Every article that’s written here has to have a reminder to us about Johnny Football. I don’t think there’s anyone that visits here that doesn’t know that Johnny Football is your favorite draftee, so no need to remind us anymore. Johnny football, the trust fund baby, egotistical, childish, monkey faced kid leading the charge for the Bucs.. Sorry I don’t see it. He’s not Lovies kind of guy and he’s certainly not the fans type of guy!
April 8th, 2014 at 10:21 am
Solinar- you don’t speak for Lovie and you certainly don’t speak for the fans
April 8th, 2014 at 10:21 am
StPeteBucsFan, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:22 am
we need a QB and two great receivers for starters. We should find this and more in this draft. Looking forward to the new direction and hoping for a great year
April 8th, 2014 at 10:25 am
Until I hear a reasonable explanation from the bucs as to why we are a better football team without MW I am going to consider this a huge cut your nose off to spite your face move. Your team cannot consist of all choir boys. MW was not a bad guy and did nothing to warrant getting shipped off for a cup of coffee. We will miss his TD catches this season
April 8th, 2014 at 10:28 am
Marqise Lee excels where Watkins & Evans both have knocks against them which is the he is a much better and more refined route runner, and can turn a 7-9 yard catch into 6 points, as Lee is a YAC machine. Nobody talking about the Bucs on the web has mock/mentioned this kid in our draft plans, which is absurd considering the tape he’s got. A tough injury, Lane Kiffin, and shaky QB play factored into the drop in his production in 2013, but fully healthy he is one of if not the best WR in this nation, Lee’s takes a technicians’ approach to the WR position.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:29 am
Our offense was terrible and asduming a rookie will be better for our offense than mike will who has proven what he can do on the field is absurd. You thougjt our 32nd offense couldnt get worse but guess what…IT GOT WORSE.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:33 am
I think Lovie and Licht reviewed Mike William’s film as a Buc very closely. His productivity was sky high as a rookie but started to taper off from there, and to the point of being marginal after he signed his big contract. I think they feel they can do better at receiver than Mike Williams and that was the determining factor for trading him. All of the off-field antics were secondary and his play on the field is why he is gone and soon to be forgotten. Someone seems to have a serious man-crush on Mike though, not calling out names.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:35 am
No Mike Williams does not change a thing about the draft.
Counting on Mike Williams would have been the mistake. These guys have known that all along and had no intentions of relying on him. They were just waiting for a trade so they could unload the salary.
QB at 7. Receivers in rds 2/3.
Lovie recently drafted Jeffrey in third round, and he is an authentic pro bowl beast now.
When all is said and done MW will be just another in a long line of rock star failures.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:37 am
This is Lovie laying down the law. Had Raheem done the same with Talib the moment he effed up then we might have seen different results
April 8th, 2014 at 10:41 am
Joe, I heard a great analogy of J. Maziel’s style of play the other day; forget the analyst name, but he watched 70 plays of Johnny passing the ball within Texas A&M’s offense scheme this last season. He said that Johnny rarely threw the ball to the primary, usually open receiver, and frequently ran the ball before making/doing any reading progressions whatsoever. He also stated his style of play reminded him a lot of Michael Vick.
So the question is, if he is similar to Michael Vick, with a little less open field speed and similar size, is he not also a high risk to be a quarterback who is prone to frequently getting hurt by his impatient nature in the pocket? Do you want the QB who is the exciting short term solution for your team, who may not play many full seasons for you, or do you want a more long-term solution pocket passer, with good pocket mobility and a better chance to stay healthy over a long 16 game NFL season.
It would seem to me Joe, that on a historical basis, the latter style QB has been a more successful long-term solution in regards to success in the NFL when it comes to winning championships. But I will admit, Johnny sure is fun to watch.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:45 am
NFL is a billion dollar industry.Glazers are billionaires. You all don’t think they did there own private investigation on #19. Team knows so much more than the public. They had there own private firm do an extensive investigation. This led to the team calling ALL teams to trade him. Two and only two were interested. We are lucky to get a pick for him at all. The team knows much more than any of us.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:49 am
Yeah the bucs do seem kind of thin at spots. It will get shaped up before you know it. That’s if you are young enough to wait, unlike Bucs fans from the onset of the teams creation who are still waiting for anything other than a mediocre offense. The SB win is nice though. It’s a lifelong thing, you just have to have patience. Hell, look at the Cubs. And believe me, life in Florida has gone downhill from decades ago, just like the entire U.S. Things don’t always get better, that’s fantasy.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:55 am
Eric Says:
April 8th, 2014 at 10:35 am
No Mike Williams does not change a thing about the draft.
Counting on Mike Williams would have been the mistake. These guys have known that all along and had no intentions of relying on him. They were just waiting for a trade so they could unload the salary.
QB at 7. Receivers in rds 2/3.
Lovie recently drafted Jeffrey in third round, and he is an authentic pro bowl beast now.
When all is said and done MW will be just another in a long line of rock star failures.
________________________________________________
1. Jeffrey is a second round pick, not a third (45th overall)
2. Lovie has never drafted a QB in the first four rounds
3. Taking a QB and 2 receivers in the first 3 rounds while ignore the holes on the offensive line would be disasterous to say the least. Those 3 picks will be wasted when the QB is on his back 20 times a game.
April 8th, 2014 at 10:59 am
Earth to Joe. You are the devil reincarnated. How many clicks? That’s a lot of zombies. We will be assimilated. Anyone ever heard of Hanoi Hannah? The subliminal programming is beginning to take on legs. Glory to the “Lil spot on these here itranets” I am at your command. I am your drone. I will deliver your message. I have been assimilated…
April 8th, 2014 at 11:00 am
first , mikey being shipped off to buffalo was all his making. believe it or not , there are still some people out there who insist on decency and high moral fiber in their MEN.( aka lovie ). now to your football points , I tend to think like you here , however , if Watkins is still there at #7 I don’t see how we pass on an elite talent like him.he and evans are heads and tails above the other receivers in this draft.albeit they are also very talented.the way I see it our 2 biggest needs are o-line and wide receiver . as long as we address those needs , the order is not particularly important to me. would love to have the kid from ucla at guard( can’t pronounce or spell his name) , but he looks to be a late 1st rounder and not sure how we swing that.a nice 2nd option might be gabe Jackson. then in round 3 we can go back to wide receiver again. just my thoughts.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:01 am
Not like we cant trade higher up in the second with that extra 6th rounder we snagged to grab a receiver we like either..A lot of routes the Bucs can go in draft could not have asked for a better spot to be
April 8th, 2014 at 11:07 am
I did not know that Joe was a mind reader. I have not heard Lovie/Licht say they traded Mike (house-party) Williams because he was a bad neighbor. Also I cannot wait to read during the season, Joe’s article when Mike (house-party) Williams 1 good game against a bad team, of how we missed out because he had a mattress in his front yard.
I am glad that the Bucs have a Coach and GM that watched the tape, And did not look at stats at the end of the year to tell if a player is good or not.
#garbagestats = big contracts from the rockstar
April 8th, 2014 at 11:10 am
Mike (house-party) Williams —–> Mike (bankrupt) Williams
April 8th, 2014 at 11:10 am
Fans turned on Williams for a number of reasons. Lack of productivity, alleged fines from the team, ongoing legal issues coupled with a lifestyle that draws in question his decision making. Then bow tied with a stabbing.
Williams was essentially a #3 on virtually every decent team that was paid high #2 receiver money. His production will be easily replaced or upgraded through the draft/ free agency.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:12 am
@Imissu40
Look up ad hominem attack. Get an education before you insult people gratuitously. You offered NOTHING to back up your assertion.
But hey if shooting off your mouth and revealing your gross ignorance gets you off then rock on ignoramus.
If not try and REFUTE what I said point by point!!
April 8th, 2014 at 11:12 am
i like Lee later in the draft
April 8th, 2014 at 11:13 am
@Imiss#40, someone already quoted billy Madison last week bud.
@stpetebucfan, agreed. Florida is a dangerous place to be if you’re not white. Almost as bad as Arizona.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:23 am
Even if Williams were to put up 900 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2014, do you think Licht and Lovie were going to put up 6.8 million for him in 2015? He would most likely have been sent packing after this season anyway, trading him now nets us a 6th round pick. Buffalo is paying us a 6th round pick for his cheap 2014 salary.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:25 am
When I heard Kevin Costner in Draft Day say “I love this job”, I immediately thought about Jason Licht. The best thing that could have happened to Lovie was Licht. The aggressive approach to FA that we’ve seen to date goes against everything I know about Lovie. This is a perfect match to get this team out of the doldrums.
Hold on to your hats! This train is just leaving the station. There’s more to come and I’m buying it! If nothing else happens, it is surely going to be different. And maybe different wins this time, because the same old thing definitely has not.
Go Lovie! Go Licht!
April 8th, 2014 at 11:28 am
Robinson is another Mike Williams clone, not exactly speed in space. He’s a pretty big 6’2 athletic guy with a great catch radius that really can’t separate. That is Mike Williams to a Tee. I’m not interested, we need playmakers, speed in space.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:34 am
@bucrightoff,
All legit points.
But remember Lovie traded for Cutler, so he wouldn’t have selected a QB during that time. Before that he was saddled with former first rounder Grossman.
He doesn’t have those issues here.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:38 am
Unbelievable. That is all.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:39 am
unbelievable and stpetebucfan…..FYI 24 states in America have the Stand Your Ground law and in the Travon case that defense was never even used by Zimmerman in court.
Told you people Buc fans are not the brightest stars in the sky.
Now back to football which is where it should have stayed in the first place.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:43 am
^^^Living proof!
April 8th, 2014 at 11:52 am
Florida is a bad place to be if you are a violent criminal. The color of your skin is irrelevant when it comes to violent criminals. Bullets don’t discriminate and everyone bleeds red. What’s with the race baiting? Are you black? Have you been shot because you are black? If so, stop committing crimes, idiots.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:52 am
@ buc1987
Well said Back to Bucs nation talk!!!
April 8th, 2014 at 11:53 am
Mike Williams did this to himself. When the report of the stabbing came out. I said I don’t care if his 2nd cousin’s sister got a DUI. Lovie was going to send him packing. If I knew this, Mike definitely knew it too.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:56 am
And stay away from Colorado movie theaters and high schools….especially if you are just an average person. That place is crazy.
Sorry I couldn’t resist.
Go Bucs!
April 8th, 2014 at 11:57 am
I’m all for getting Kelvin Benjamin.
Lev Says
“Honestly I was fed up of almost every player on last year’s 4-12 team. I wanted all of them out the door.”
Honestly, I think that is a dumb thing to do, and I hope after thinking about it you changed your view.
Getting rid of GMC, David, Baron, Banks…several of them, would have been a huge mistake.
And frankly, I’m halfway convinced choosing Jason Licht was a mistake as well.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:58 am
ppl are tired of selfish players who don’t know how to behave in a community.
It’s not hard to be a good neighbor and when you aren’t, it’s basically a giant f-you to everyone else. Whether it’s punching a cabbie or playing loud music all night, they are different symptoms of the same underlying lack of respect for anybody secondary to your own desires.
April 8th, 2014 at 11:58 am
Sorry to get political but let’s use a “sports example” of what Stand your ground means.
My son visited last year from Columbus in March. I took him out for a round of golf. It was the height of the season we were paired with a cool Canadian couple in their 70s, the hubby a former NHL goalie from the 50’s.
We had to wait every shot a golfer’s worst nightmare but expected in March on a public course in Florida.
Redneck trash behind us were upset. We could do nothing. Hit in on the group ahead of us? Were they supposed to hit in the group ahead of them?
By the 13th hole my son had enough beer and he got my Irish temper. We’re standing on the tee WAITING for the fairway to clear to hit our drives. One of the Aholes behind us starts gesturing like the baboon he was. My son snapped and started off the tee to approach the guy making the noise on the green behind us. My son said..”Are you staring and yelling at me? Do you have a problem with me?”
I immediately wrapped my son in a bear hug and restrained him. The feisty Canadian goalie was walking with my son towards the confrontation.
Fortunately his wife grabbed him.
When we got back to our cart I explained both of them that this is Florida.
You came off the tee box drivers still in hand. That guy could have legally pulled a gun and killed you right there…LEGALLY.
Does anybody deny my interpretation of SYG?
The Canadian and my son were dumbstruck.
Don’t know about the rest of you but I do not wish to lose a loved one because some redneck gun nut wastes him for such a silly reason.
BTW I own guns, I’m a Vietnam Vet, I know how to use them. The Army taught me to respect them. So before you join in the Ad hom attacks please be SPECIFIC and point out where I’m incorrect in my FACTS.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:01 pm
IMiss#40 Said:
April 8th, 2014 at 10:21 am
“StPeteBucsFan, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard.”
you haven’t read his/her earlier posts today?
April 8th, 2014 at 12:02 pm
licht needs to change what he receives back in a trade! he gives the other team value.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:08 pm
StPeteBucsFan, of course your son could have been shot under SYG in Florida and YES SYG is idiotic and those responsible should be ran out on a rail for “Governing/Legislating under the influence of Tea”. Yes all of that is true but it still has nothing to do with MW leaving. Stay on topic and your posts will be better received.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:10 pm
I think the Bucs are relying VERY heavily on a toe. Namely the one that belongs to Carl Nicks. If he can’t play, right now we have NO starting guards and one WR (Murphy and Hawkins don’t count). Can’t run the ball, can’t pass the ball. Our starting defense I think will be VERY good at the start of the season but will wear down due to the offense. I have all the faith in the world in L&L and especially the coaching staff they put together just don’t know that we don’t have too many holes to fill in one year.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:13 pm
Lovie and Jason better get out those shovels, we have huge holes to fill.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:17 pm
So tired of hearing about all the Buccaneers holes. This is the era of Free Agency. Every team has holes. Seattle’s receivers are mediocre. Atlanta has a franchise qb and they were 4-12, same as the buccaneers. One can go on and on. On paper, only three or four teams have the appearance of fewer holes than us. You take the best player available. None of the three qbs in this draft are among the top ten players in this draft.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:23 pm
@Chan
Certainly respect your opinion and so this will be my last post on MW. My point about SYG was not so much to criticize a stupid law as much to criticize a stupid player.
Joe has acted as if the neighbors were at fault in the half dozen 911 calls.
I simply pointed out that MW is lucky.
If he had simply stepped off his property onto his neighbors even if the neighbor started the name calling he could legally be a dead man.
As for the racial component I don’t see that looming large. The guy shot in the Theater was white as was the shooter. All the people involved in my son’s incident were white.
I made the point because Joe keeps trying to white wash the serious nature of MW’s behavior. It was always considered boorish but in 2014 it’s downright dangerous.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:24 pm
I AGREE THAT IF ONE OF THE TWO TOP TWO RECEIVERS IS NOT THERE AT SEVEN DRAFT AT ANOTHER POSITION OR TRADE BACK. BUT IF ONE OF THE TWO OR THERE I’D HAVE A HARD TIME NOT TAKING THEM.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:30 pm
Ahh yes, nothing brings people together in harmony more than discussing Stand Your Ground, race. and golf course etiquette.
April 8th, 2014 at 12:51 pm
@1987, I never said stand your grand was used in that case. Maybe you should work on your reading comprehension before posting.
Or perhaps you were trying to prove your own statement that “Bucs fans are not the brightest stars in the sky”
April 8th, 2014 at 1:11 pm
If Williams was half the player as Talib was, the fans would’ve given him a ton of slack. He is a good, not great, number 2 receiver. And with the hammy, his playmaking ability may not be where it was before, when he was just a pretty slow big target. A really slow big target is a TE.
April 8th, 2014 at 1:12 pm
unbelievable….maybe you need to go back a read what
StPeteBucsFan
“This is Florida man!!!! It’s stand your ground! ” “Trayvon Martin got blown away for the act of walking in his father’s neighborhood with skittles.”
Then you readily agreed with him with :
“@stpetebucfan, agreed. Florida is a dangerous place to be if you’re not white. Almost as bad as Arizona.”
StPeteBucsFan…was using the stand your ground law as a reference to Travon Martin dim star.
April 8th, 2014 at 1:16 pm
@StPeteBucsFan
You started off with stand your ground, then gave to examples of two cases that had nothing to do with stand your ground. So your FACT are incorrect.
You are correct however, if a drunken fool goes after someone with a golf club stand your ground could apply. You would have blamed the “redneck” or “beers” or a bad law. Which is wrong.
See we have choices in life, your son made the wrong choice. You should condemn his aggressive behavior and teach him how act civilized. My question to you is why doesn’t your son know how to handle conflict with out aggression? A call to the Marshall, a short conversation with them explaining your current playing situation or ignoring them for the next 7 holes and going home to your family all sound like better ideas to me.
Remember both these cases you refer to, didn’t start out as a shootouts…
April 8th, 2014 at 1:17 pm
Wow, this is just getting ridiculous about MW. As to the “bad neighbor” thing… I, myself, have been known to throw a party every now and again (typically 3 to 4 big ones per year). The music is loud, there are cars parked up and down the street until all hours of the morning. I even spray painted a support beam in the basement chrome to resemble a “stripper pole” and friends have fun swinging around it and joking around. While I have never had a mattress thrown in the front yard, I have had police arrive once or twice over the past 9 years to ask me to “turn it down”. Most of my neighbors don’t mind, some talk to me or ask questions, and I let them know they are welcome to join in if they’d like. I don’t consider myself a bad neighbor, especially if a neighbor doesn’t talk to me about an issue. I’d be happy to accommodate if they don’t like cars parked in front of their house, or if I need to turn it down a bit, so long as they don’t mind that my friends and I would like to have a good time. We can park somewhere else on the street. But then, living in Colorado, I’m also the neighbor to shovel the sidewalk of snow in front of my neighboring houses when I shovel my own. I’m the one to help loading a truck or loaning a tool to a neighbor.
I have set an accidental fire to a kitchen, fortunately it was small and in my own home, not a rental. But it does happen. I’ve never been in trouble with the law for any form of violent act. And by this, I must say that I don’t understand damaging the team by letting Williams go. There must be something else. Something football related, like missing meetings or rehab appointments. I’ve watched games from the past two plus years on my DVR (yes, I still have some recorded from the Raheem era) and while MW struggled as a #1 WR, he was pretty darned good as a #2 WR across from VJ. His ability to go up and grab contested passes was amazing. While not blazing fast, he had enough speed to take a short slant to the house, or go up and steal the ball away from a defender and still gather enough speed to get to the end zone.
Ability was not his issue. The off-field should not have been enough of an issue to let him go (although the staff probably should have set him up with someone that could give him guidance to improve his behavior, but not trade him).
That said, WR is not so critical we have to reach for Evans at 7 or move up to get Watkins. There will be options in the 2nd round. Many WRs will fall due to teams filling their need at WR in rnd 1 to 3 and some will be available late in the draft. Some may even fall out of the draft and be reasonable undrafted pickups. If I had to choose, I’d take Bridgewater if available at 7. Benjamin if available in rnd 2. Maybe a G or TE in the 3rd. Then fill in the rest at 5-7 and undrafted players. A good scheme on offense with a solid QB (McCown or Bridgewater) can get the WRs we have open. A QB with a little mobility can avoid some of the pressure of a “not so perfect” line. Extending a play can allow even a mediocre WR time to get open.
I didn’t like the trade of MW, we definitely didn’t get value for him, he’s worth more than that. But I’m also not worried about WR position so long as we have a scheme and a QB that can get the job done.
April 8th, 2014 at 1:40 pm
@1987 you quoted what I said little dull star, but you still don’t seem to understand.
Nothing in my comment mentioned the ‘stand your ground’, or it being/not being used in that court case. I referred to his point about be being black in Florida.
Reading comprehension bud.
April 8th, 2014 at 1:52 pm
@Joe
Allen Robinson is a STUD! His foot quickness is outstanding and he projects as a #1 caliber receiver based on those statistical metrics that you don’t care to look at. Specifically he has the height, size, youth and dominant production that all correlate highly with NFL success. If you’re interested here’s the article:
http://rotoviz.com/index.php/2014/04/allen-robinson-is-a-first-round-receiver/
I’d love to get him in the 2nd round after taking Bridgewater first.
April 8th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
Joe saw enough of Robinson’s games (and not just the Michigan game last year) to know he’s a good receiver.
April 8th, 2014 at 2:41 pm
unbelievable…yah your right it’s a dangerous place to be, what with 75% of the population of Florida being northern transplants and not redneck at all. I’m done with all this. The state is not full of rednecks not even close. Want to see a state full of rednecks? Take a trip to Alabama.
April 8th, 2014 at 2:45 pm
I foresee a future where the Bucs select Texas A&M’s Mike Evans all the while Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel is still on the board. As a result, Joe’s head will explode. I look forward to that, for no other reason than to see it occur.
April 8th, 2014 at 2:49 pm
I think the Bucs will be able to trade down, pick up at least a couple of excellent receivers, AND get the QB they’re already targeting, PLUS shore up depth on both lines and across the rest of the roster. In THIS draft, every single player we choose could end up being at least a part-time starter.
April 8th, 2014 at 3:39 pm
Value of trading down is not what it has been in previous years. Other drafts had limited depth, therefore teams would give up more to move up and get a specific guy they thought was a game changer. In a deep draft, teams will give up less, because they can get a comparable guy when their pick rolls around or maybe even a round later. Don’t expect a team to offer 2 or 3 picks in this year’s draft to move up, which means be wary of thinking the Bucs can “trade down” or get value if they do.
Is it better to trade down and take a lesser talent if all we get is a swap of picks this year and a pick or two in next year’s draft (no extra picks this year)? Let’s say the Titans offer to swap first round picks and give up a 2nd and 3rd next year? Does that help us this year in a deep draft? Maybe they offer a swap of 1st and a 4th this year, plus a 2nd next year. Is the extra 4th this year worth dropping down and missing Evans and possibly Ebron as well?
On the other hand, if we have a clear cut #1 pick that we’d like to get, and only have to swap 1st, give up a 4th this year and 3rd next year to trade with CLE, JAX or even STL to get the guy…. is that worth moving up? Trade value changes each year, and this year the value is in moving up, not down because teams are not as willing to sacrifice picks in this year’s draft due to the depth of talent. (and don’t get me wrong… getting a couple picks next year when talent depth may be less might be a good thing for us. We could then use those picks to move up and get one of the “few” elite players…)
April 8th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
I don’t understand the freeman witch hunt saying he had two coaches fired (when those coaches fired themselves) yet everyone is picking on Mike (which I agree with Joe on that aspect)?
April 8th, 2014 at 4:56 pm
StPeteBucsFan,
According to my calculations, you are a pussy.
April 8th, 2014 at 5:01 pm
StPeteBucsFan
Your mouth is enough to scare any gun toting redneck away. You’re one serious bmf’r doe. I hear Chuck Norris is looking for a new bodyguard.
April 8th, 2014 at 8:32 pm
LMAO We laughed at loudmouths like you in ‘Nam BigMac.
I never said I was a badass and I’m certainly far too old to be one now.
I’ll leave that up to you and all the other internet tough guys who feel free to call people pussies. You’re a real man alright!!!
April 8th, 2014 at 10:49 pm
Joe to follow up…while the fans and media weren’t able to get a scoop on William’s dog poop to justify trading him I did here a reliable rumor that the Times was going to break a big story that his cat was scratching on the rented furniture. That would have been enough to release Williams so the Bucs worked a trade deal before it hit the fan.
April 9th, 2014 at 12:11 am
Golf clap! 🙂