“Who You Gonna Pay, A Guard?”
July 1st, 2015
Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian had a stern lesson for a fan last night.
The fan was a caller to SiriusXM NFL Radio, where Polian was hosting with Alex Marvez. The know-it-all fan was talking about how teams can’t really afford two premier receivers, and the guy was flapping about Julio Jones and Roddy White, among other examples.
Polian let the guy finish and then quashed his premise.
The mighty personnel gurus at the Packers have no problem paying $20 million for two receivers and a fortune to a QB, Polian noted, among other NFL examples.
“Who you gonna pay, a guard?” Polian quipped. He went to say you pay the guys who make the plays and that’s always the priority. They’re more valuable to winning games than some sort of on-paper balance on the roster.
Of course, the guard comment got Joe thinking about barbecue-yearning Logan Mankins, who is due $7 million this season.
The Bucs don’t have enough established playmakers on both sides of the ball to pay. It’s a lousy predicament, but that’s why Joe has no problem with the team investing all that money into hoping an old guard coming off a rough season will have an impact.
It’s better than paying $6 million to a never-was left tackle, like they did last season.
July 1st, 2015 at 9:10 am
America’s Barbecue Master will earn every dollar this season…His leadership and ability to help Marpet and Smith along is priceless…
July 1st, 2015 at 9:51 am
@the real Malloy – they have coaches for that. He is getting a lot of money to play quality football. Let’s hope he does that well.
July 1st, 2015 at 10:14 am
So you’re telling me good veterans dont take rookies under their wing? Show them how to become pros?
July 1st, 2015 at 10:16 am
You dont’t have to agree with everything I say, but to say they have coaches to do that is a stupid comment. George Warhop? Really…?
July 1st, 2015 at 10:26 am
Should have paid DOnald Penn, Davin Joseph, and Jeremy Zuttah. We wouldn’t be in this predicament.
July 1st, 2015 at 10:46 am
We were in that predictament when we had them…
July 1st, 2015 at 11:04 am
It is a perfect example as to why the bucs did not sign Evan Mathis. Mankins is the highest paid left guard in the league. He is getting paid to keep America’s QB of his backside. Lavonte David’s contract is coming up and you know it could be in excess of $10M a year. That is one contract I have no problem with.
July 1st, 2015 at 12:31 pm
It just cracks me up when you see this offensive line being built in such an uncanny way, it fails, and yet they stick by the mentality.
You send away young developing talent in Zuttah for overpriced veterans.
And you’ll continue to pay that overpriced vet after a bad year, but will push out a much cheaper Penn after 1 bad year.
So you bring in a LT that has started 7 games in the NFL, pay him a king’s ransom when he clearly wasn’t ready, but then turn around the next year and plug in a second rd rookie as your starting LT and a D3 guy as your starting guard…
it’s pretty funny
July 1st, 2015 at 3:23 pm
@Mike
Hard to tell yet whether it’s funny. If the two draft choices play up to or perhaps even exceed expectations, and the three vets simply mirror their most successful year in the NFL…nothing extraordinary or all pro…we will have an offensive line.
Use a seasoned NFL professional OC working with a franchise QB and a great collection of receiving threats…and what might be funny is what people post about this team in December.
July 1st, 2015 at 3:45 pm
Penn and Joseph were nasties on the line with an attitude, this line has no idenity
July 1st, 2015 at 3:48 pm
@Getaclue
“this line has no idenity”
Amen brother. And therefore they lacked cohesion. Hopefully now that he’s had a year here and sees the need, Mankins will step in and give this line that identity you talk about Getaclue as well as making these guys into a cohesive unit.
July 1st, 2015 at 4:32 pm
This line should be
LT – Penn
LG – …..
C – Marpet
RG – Zuttah
RT – Donovan Smith
July 2nd, 2015 at 9:42 am
St pete, you lost me at “if”..
Coming off such a bad year, we shouldn’t be comforted by “if.”