Bucs Wanted Patriots’ Backup Guard
August 28th, 2014
Logan Mankings was not the initial target of Bucs GM Jason Licht’s cold calling.
It is interesting that the seed that grew into the Logan Mankins trade for Tim Wright and a fourth-round pick was planted back in late July, per Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s comments Tuesday.
Yesterday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com Twittered that the genesis of the trade actually was Licht dumpster-diving for a different guard.
#Bucs really 1st called about acquiring a #Patriots backup guard. Pats expressed interest in TE Tim Wright. Soon it was “How about Mankins?”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2014
What precipitated the Patriots giving up Mankins? It seemed Patriots strongman Bill Belicheat demanded Mankins accept a rework of his contract, again Rapoport Twittered.
Why did #Patriots end up dealing Pro Bowl G Logan Mankins? They asked him to take a pay cut. He refused (as you’d expect). Became available — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2014
And there, folks, is how the trade came to be. Remember, it was late July, right at the start of training camp and right at the time Licht and the Bucs learned hobbled guard Carl Nicks could no longer make a go of it.
It is kind of cool how cold call looking for a backup suddenly turns into an All-Pro guard. The Patriots’ loss is the Bucs’ gain.
August 28th, 2014 at 5:31 am
is All Pro a label that follows you forever? is andre johnson an all pro WR?
August 28th, 2014 at 5:50 am
This, along with the trade with the Chiefs, has really calmed me down for the season. Our guard play was SO bad in the preseason that it was frustrating knowing we wouldn’t really see what our offense can do because of it. Very excited. These guys might now be the best, but they will certainly be a heck of a lot better than what we had.
August 28th, 2014 at 6:07 am
So has mankins made a appearance, interview, is he even in Tampa?
August 28th, 2014 at 6:39 am
You just never know what’s under a horse’s tail until you lift it up!!!
August 28th, 2014 at 6:44 am
Lovie and Light are the right combination for us. This was worth the wait.
Mankins & Johnson at Guards!
Don’t forget the are still looking for the right backups too.
Go Bucs!
August 28th, 2014 at 6:50 am
He was second team all pro in 2013.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000308570/article/2013-allpro-teams
Not like he’s a guy that was all pro in 05 and still living off it
August 28th, 2014 at 6:52 am
@TBBF – is your name Kirk Herbstreet?
August 28th, 2014 at 7:02 am
Further proof this was a desperation move and licht got schooled
August 28th, 2014 at 7:03 am
lets all not forget that these guys are just walking thru the door, and will be thrown on the field with little to no work with the other lineman. It will be difficult for our O-line that will have not work together during all offseason and preseason. They may have upgraded the talent ( I want to see them play, before we put them in pro-bowls) But they have a lot of work to gel and play as a unit.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:06 am
@ Patriick in Va
It’s Herbstreit…..and…..nope!!
I am Pablo’s smarter brother….
August 28th, 2014 at 7:12 am
@TBBF – fair enough. That horse comment made me cringe the way Kirk does about every 10 minutes.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:17 am
I’m dumb. I don’t know why I said Herbstreit when I meant McEwen. Further proof that I should google things instead of just relying on my questionably functional memory
August 28th, 2014 at 7:21 am
@ Patrick in VA
It is a bit early in the morning to hit folks with the “horse’s tail” analogy…..but it does fit the article.
If it make you more comfortable….it could be a Hippo’s tail.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:25 am
@TBBF – to be honest, I’m not sure that there’s an appropriate time of the day to talk about looking under animal tails. But maybe I’m just a tree hugger like Joe
August 28th, 2014 at 7:26 am
Translation: no you can’t have the good young guard, how about the old one that is way overpriced …
August 28th, 2014 at 7:32 am
So, this really kind of needs to be addressed for all you guys who are bemoaning the price tag of Mankins. First, it shouldn’t matter to you what these guys are being paid. That’s their business and you aren’t in charge of stroking the check. Second, we’re at the point in the season where anyone that we would have gotten to fill the holes would be coming at a pretty economical price because they were cut from another team. We don’t need to sit on a stack of cash right now. It doesn’t help anyone to have that money on the books. Let the pros handle the budget and stop holding this guy’s salary against him.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:41 am
@ Patrick in VA
Salaries are important only because of the cap. I’m a Yankee fan and until the MLB cap luxury tax…..since they had big money they could just buyn players.
I do agree that individual players shouldn’t be scrutinized and critisized based on their salary…..a deal is a deal and their careers don’t last long.
I think players usually do their best regardless of salary….its sort of in their DNA.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:50 am
@TBBF – I would have raised an eyebrow had they made this move at the beginning of FA but, given that our roster is pretty well set aside from cuts this weekend, I have no problem with them spending every nickel like they said they wanted to filling the holes on our team. If McCown is getting pummeled 2 seconds after the snap every play but we have 5 million left in the budget because we were shopping in the bargain bin then are these folks going to call that a win? That money isn’t going toward subsidizing our tickets or anything like that. It goes toward players or in the owners pockets. May as well spend it making the team better.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:50 am
Exactly Jon.
And old guard.
Didn’t the Patriots have a bad oline the last few years?
August 28th, 2014 at 7:53 am
Name recognition is all fans care about anyway.
It was either him or Incognito that would have satisfied the local sports fans being stirred up by the local sports media types.
Now the local media has nothing to write about. The guard situation has been addressed. The team made not 1 but 2 trades for that position.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:00 am
@BF#237 – You realize that his most recent season was an all pro season right? Talk about age discrimination. The guy is playing at a high level. It doesn’t matter how old he is. Would you have thrown a fit about getting peyton manning when he left Indy simply because we didn’t get him for the first part of his career?
August 28th, 2014 at 8:05 am
voice of reason….. yes when you become an all pro you are always an all pro
August 28th, 2014 at 8:05 am
I’m still trying to figure out why people thin we got jobbed in this trade.
The Bucs traded what amounts to an undrafted project at TE and a 4th round pick. We drafted the TOP TE in the draft (Ebron is not nearly as athletic as ASJ) and 4th rounders you are hoping will contribute their rookie year, but there is no guarantee you’ll get anything more than a developmental lineman or a special teamer, instead we got a veteran all-pro road-grader in a position of need.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:08 am
Am I throwing a fit? Nope.
Re read my posts… they are fact based.
I hit on every point.
Any issues generated from here on out by the sports media will be manufactured or happenstance due to injury or what have you.
But the organization did all they possibly could have done to address this teams issues.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:10 am
The trade was good. TW was awesome last year but he wasn’t going to work in this scheme and we need seriously OL work. He is better off in NE and we are better with the 32 year old bull up front.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:11 am
@Patrick in VA,
@TBBF,
A little off topic, no? But I mean if you guys want to talk about how you like to look under animals tails, its cool, a little weird, but fine.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:14 am
“Translation: no you can’t have the good young guard, how about the old one that is way overpriced …”
Exactly, Joe even you cant spin this correctly without the majority of fans seeing right through this…
August 28th, 2014 at 8:20 am
Might as well start this today: Harry is smarter than me.
I’m with Patrick. As long as this doesn’t get in the way of GMS’s money (I’m sure it won’t) I dont give two figs what his pay is.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:21 am
@Stevie – it was a money issue man. They wanted to get out from under the salary so they split it with us and got a position of need while we got a position of need as well. It’s not like we got bamboozled. They negotiated and landed on something that works for both teams. FA is used to fill holes and you get long term solutions in the draft. Next year we’ll find the long term solution in the draft but, for now, we have a great guard that will help us win games. Every player on the team can’t be 23 years old.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:28 am
@ Harry
Perhaps I should have said “You never know what can happen when you look for players”…..but, I chose to be humorous….my bad!
August 28th, 2014 at 8:40 am
Hey Joe, you got a moniker for Licht yet? Look forward to it. How about Jason I’m not waiting for tomorrow I’m going to win right now Licht sound? I know terrible but you’re the writer. DO IT!
August 28th, 2014 at 8:48 am
How about a Pulp Fiction referenced name: Jason “the Wolf” Licht. He comes in and cleans up messes.
August 28th, 2014 at 8:56 am
This may turn out to be the first good trade Licht has done. depending on how the guy works out. He will be coming from a nice weather environment to a scorching hot one and that will wear on him.
So how he adjusts will play a role.
I’m all for the trade, and no, I do not think we got “jobbed”.
That said, if Licht busted up the oline because we needed money, then what does this new salary say? That he was wrong for doing so?
Personally, I think the oline needed to be busted up, but they should have kept Zuttah (if he was willing to renegotiate).
August 28th, 2014 at 8:57 am
andres Says
“Hey Joe, you got a moniker for Licht yet?”
I would rather not have one. They get tiring.
August 28th, 2014 at 9:01 am
@BuccaneerBonzai I’ll admit the Glennon one is annoying.
August 28th, 2014 at 9:05 am
Peter King’s is pretty tedious. At least it’s all hyperlinked though so you can see where it ends and you can skip past it.
August 28th, 2014 at 9:36 am
Very Absolute and Studious of Mr Licht!
August 28th, 2014 at 10:06 am
To bad the “Rockstar” nickname is already used
August 28th, 2014 at 11:26 am
The Boston Globe’s Zuri Berry said second-year G Josh Kline has been a “fast riser” in Patriots camp.
Kline earned the start at right guard in the Patriots’ preseason opener while Dan Connolly started at center. With New England still searching for the right combination along the interior line, Kline has a real shot to earn a starting role this season. Kline played 115 snaps at left guard in 2013
August 28th, 2014 at 11:37 am
Wow……the BUCS make a really fair trade and get the help we HAVE TO HAVE and all some hear seem to think about id how old he is???? You know as long as he didn’t stub his toe getting off the plane and get MRSA we are way, way ahead. Not like we can win without a vertical QB and holes for the Hampster to run through.
My gosh, the first two pre-season games looked like we had gone backwards….our Ofeensive may not be top 10 but out defense is, and if we can score at least some points and keep the opponents off the feild we have a great chance of being competative all year.
I live in Kentucky so being a BUCS fan is a little lonely anyway but when we look good and win it makes my life much easier.
GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 28th, 2014 at 11:40 am
This trade was also done cause the Pats wanted to free up money for Revis…
August 28th, 2014 at 6:10 pm
does anyone remember that we cut/got rid of carl nicks who had a salary of 8.5 mil. This guy could be a steal @ 6.5mil
August 28th, 2014 at 7:03 pm
@patrick in va. Is Andre Johnson a Pro-Bowl WR (still)? 109-1407-5. Gee, maybe.
August 28th, 2014 at 7:19 pm
Thankfully the commenters only make up a small portion of the Buc fan population. I’m hoping those who just read the articles aren’t dumb enough to think this was a bad trade. NE needed cap space and TE help, we needed a guard and we got one that has been captain of probably the best team in the last decade, I like Wright but we have cap room and we need a guard a whole lot more than a backup TE. This isn’t rocket surgery people. You want to talk about the future? Think of all the experience this guy can share with our guys, I’m happy as hell, hoping to see ASJ get a bunch of snaps tonight
August 31st, 2014 at 6:13 pm
I’m with you JFat! But do rockets have surgery? Lol 😉