What’s Wrong With This Picture?
January 30th, 2016
“… for no good reason.”
What a tender and sickening moment it was at the Pro Bowl team photo shoots yesterday in Hawaii.
The Bucs’ group shot was finished, but an old friend, a former Buccaneer, an ex-teammate of Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David and Doug Martin, insisted that everyone get back together for another picture.
Michael Bennett wanted to capture a memory, a what-should-have-been moment with his old friends.
Yes, a big piece of Bennett’s heart lies with his old Bucs teammates.
Plucked off the street in October 2009 by former Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, Bennett developed and thrived with Tampa Bay, capped by being downright dominant in 2012, with nine sacks and being a tackle-for-loss machine in the run game.
And then the Bucs let him walk out the door for no good reason. The rest is history, with Bennett dominating in Seattle, where he hasn’t missed a game in three years.
It’s one of the great head-shakers in Bucs history, one that won’t go away.
January 30th, 2016 at 11:07 am
Joe, this is one of the BIGGEST flubs in Bucs history. Rock Star’s explanation is sucks BS. So they ALL were thinking Bennett was not worth keeping. Then we all know why Dom and Schiano are all out of Tampa. Dom made SOME( and do say some) good moves. But he was 50/50 at BEST.
January 30th, 2016 at 11:09 am
The only thing wrong with that picture is that Michael Bennett is wearing a Seahawks jersey not Buccaneers jersey
January 30th, 2016 at 11:14 am
Ahhhh, the one that got away…Thanks a lot Schiano…Bennett and Talib should still be Bucs…bad bad bad…
January 30th, 2016 at 11:44 am
Re-sign Bennett.
January 30th, 2016 at 11:48 am
Had we have kept Mr. Bennett and his injury did not heal up, would we still be wondering what might have been? Water still passes under the bridge every moment we look back at yesterday. Had we drafted Mr. Watt, oh what could have been.
Look I am very very happy for Mr. Bennett, he took his skills and moved on to where he has produced. But can we let it go soon, or will we still hear about what could have been three seasons from now.
This is the NFL the Not For Long business. Injuries happen to all players those not so good and those who very good. If we where able to read the future we would win the Super Bowl every season.
Move on…
January 30th, 2016 at 11:53 am
Jaboo looks like the smart one (left hand).
January 30th, 2016 at 12:06 pm
I remember a pic like that my wife and I took at one of Luau’s.
We had one of the guy dancers on one side and the hot looking girl dancer on the other. When you do a group pic like that it’s normal and comfortable to simply place your arm around the person next to you. See Bennett with Martin and LVD. Really pretty common.
So we get the pic and my are is wrapped around the bare midriff of the hot female dancer….my wife was NOT pleased…took a lot to talk my way out of that one!
January 30th, 2016 at 12:08 pm
My God….lets give it up on the Bennett woes, Joes…..or I’ll start lamenting Bo Jackson……
January 30th, 2016 at 12:17 pm
And yet the Joes still think Dom was a good gm
January 30th, 2016 at 12:18 pm
Mariota was just invited to the pro bowl ….. To watch n cheer. #thecoachkiller
January 30th, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Mariota will have a first class seat in the stands watching THE MESSIAH! I guess the good part about that is he gets to go home and see his family.
January 30th, 2016 at 12:40 pm
@Rusty
It is a reminder of the ineptitude, and in fact one of the biggest mistakes, of the Schiano / Dominik regime.
People will get over it once we get a player that can actually produce the way Bennet did. It was clear Bennet wanted to stay in Tampa, and you can see how close he still is to guys on this team. This move was worse than trading Talib.
January 30th, 2016 at 12:42 pm
@TampaTony
I think it cause the Popstar will text and be a source for just about anyone (local media as well) !! Can’t burn a potential source!! Deep down, even joe knows that Dom was one of the worst NFL GM’s of all times!!!
January 30th, 2016 at 12:51 pm
Further proof that Mark Dominik was one of the worst talent evaluators of all time. Year after year he would find new ways to set the franchise back. Jason Licht is drafting circles around that clown. I’m so glad he’s gone.
January 30th, 2016 at 12:55 pm
My man ray ray.
January 30th, 2016 at 1:11 pm
Realist…that’s a scary thought. What Joe really thinks deep down….I don’t even want to contemplate what’s going on in that mind thanks.
lol j/k Joe.
January 30th, 2016 at 1:14 pm
changing history again…
as an insider joe should know about the injury and the pay situation.
January 30th, 2016 at 1:15 pm
@lurker
and the protecting of his own high draft picks!!!!
January 30th, 2016 at 1:32 pm
thunderchunkyPA Says
“Joe, this is one of the BIGGEST flubs in Bucs history.”
LOL.
Clearly you have not been a Bucs fan as long as some of us. There have been plenty worse ones, hehe.
This one was bad…but not disastrous.
January 30th, 2016 at 1:42 pm
Makes me sick when I hear his name, big mistake letting him go.
January 30th, 2016 at 2:15 pm
If you are referring to Bennett’s shoulder injury that year, total smokescreen if not a non-issue. There are injury settlements doled out to players (Leonard Johnson for a recent example) every year. There was little financial risk with Bennett compared to the massive reward. ESPECIALLY when you look at the tens of millions of Team Glazer loot that Lovie flushed down the toilet in 2014 with worthless free agents.
January 30th, 2016 at 2:15 pm
We let Steve Young go….how about that?
January 30th, 2016 at 2:19 pm
At least the Bucs got draft picks for him. With Bennett, the Bucs didn’t even get a hand job in return.
January 30th, 2016 at 2:29 pm
Yep another screw up.
Im thinking the same about Talib too….won a SB with the patriots and is on the verge again with the broncos….smdh!
January 30th, 2016 at 2:32 pm
Hey Joes, can we please get a Senior Bowl topic going for discussing potential draft picks? Pleeeeaaase…….
January 30th, 2016 at 2:35 pm
The TB Bucs have let many players and coaches go who went on to win Superbowls. Why its the..Buccaneer way baby!! And I do mean many. Check out our history..that is if..Your’re not to busy heaping praises on a new coaching regime that has done absolutely..nothing!
January 30th, 2016 at 2:38 pm
Nah, Talib wore out his welcome here with his non-stop douchebag ways. Glad he finally grew up. He never, ever played at a Pro Bowl level with the Bucs, but his baggage was Hall of Fame level. Which is why Bucs could only get a warm cup of coffee for him.
January 30th, 2016 at 2:44 pm
Hmmnnn..great picture of Jameis standing next to that cutie pie.
January 30th, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Yes, Unbelievable, I agree,
“People will get over it once we get a player that can actually produce the way Bennet did. It was clear Bennet wanted to stay in Tampa, and you can see how close he still is to guys on this team. This move was worse than trading Talib.”
I do feel bad about Mr. Bennett getting dumped like he did, and cut off from the guys he is friends with. But it was not my choice. “experienced and more qualified” people made that choice.
Nice photo of a group of close friends.
January 30th, 2016 at 3:43 pm
yes, there was a shoulder injury. then there was what the bucs wanted to pay and what he wanted. he thought he would make moreon the market, and didn’t. but, by that time, he did not want to return proven wrong.
the lovie free agents have no bearing. a joe has always had a bug up his butt about this situation, but the truth is not what is being sold.
January 30th, 2016 at 3:57 pm
Getting rid of talib was just as big of a mistake as letting bennett go.
January 30th, 2016 at 4:21 pm
Besides…Bennett always looked better in a Bucs uniform..
January 30th, 2016 at 4:45 pm
I wish I could just forget the whole Dominick era. He didn’t inherit much following Gruden but the little he did have to build around he drove straight into the ground. Absolutely no foundation was ever esrestablished under him. The only thing Dominick was good for was being the key factor for a decade of losing.
I just puked in my mouth a little bit.
January 30th, 2016 at 4:57 pm
Mike Johnson- Let’s hope Licht makes better dicesions then some of our other GMs. I say hope but he has proven worth with his drafts.
One thing that doesn’t get mentioned much is the masterful trade Licht pulled off for Mankind….. What a steal that was!!!! Maybe he can trade our TE again.
January 30th, 2016 at 5:04 pm
Agree 100% with every word bee said.
January 30th, 2016 at 6:17 pm
At least releasing Michael Bennett and Aqib Talib did not cost us a first round draft pick like when we released Darrell Rivas. Anyone else notice Rivas was not there this year? Looking back one has to wonder what our defense with Rivas, Talib, Bennett, McCoy and David on it, would have been like? With Winston, Martin, LVD, Mankins and GMC we have the core for our team in the future. Soon to follow will be Ali Marpet, Mike Evans, ASJ, Charles Sims and Kwon Alexander. That is how important this years draft is. We need to nail the first three picks again and we will be on our way. Please select DT Andrew Billings in the first round. We need future elite players and Billings is that guy.
January 30th, 2016 at 6:36 pm
Man..those Hawaiian girls sure are cutie pies. The one standing next to Jameis is a keeper. Sure wish I was there!
January 30th, 2016 at 9:42 pm
We gotta stop bringing this up because it gives me massive stomach pains. Will never understand it, and never got a clear answer on why we let him go.
January 30th, 2016 at 9:51 pm
Damn big Fame is putting on the pounds ,his frame appears to be as equal to mCSofty
January 30th, 2016 at 9:57 pm
People have a short memory around here..You guys forget the reason we let him walk is because we had a younger ,cheaper and what appeared to be of an up side in Dairy Queen Bow-wow wow wow zrrrr’s Remember ? I do…
January 30th, 2016 at 10:10 pm
Aquib Talib? Wow!!! Some of you guys would be happy with a lineup of Talib…Pacman Jones..Burfict…Hardy…Incognito…
We could call ourselves the Tampa Bay Daesh! (ISIS)
January 31st, 2016 at 2:41 am
Not really StPete. So you feel me pointing out a talent that we drafted, and once again another (football) talent we threw away is equal to Jones and Burfict? I only mention those two because of the bs they displayed on the playing field that actually cost their team some games. I haven’t seen that with Talib….look at the facts.
Its cool, like Joe pointed out, yes he was a douche with us, but the talent was there….i mean we hung in there with Sapp right?
January 31st, 2016 at 8:09 am
No Pete. But we seem to be on a roll of drafting/signing talent who leaves us and makes the playoffs and superbowls….I dont know about you but that bothers me….I mean we put up with #99!
January 31st, 2016 at 8:40 am
And then my post “awaiting moderation” was approved.
Why Im moderated at times, I dont know….maybe it was a trigger word. But its all good. I love the Joe’s, their site, and will pick up their tab if I ever have the chance….(and no pouring beer over anyones head, maybe mine if Im drunk enough lol)
January 31st, 2016 at 8:49 am
Joe did u check out GMacs IG vid with Bennett he definitely feels the same way
January 31st, 2016 at 10:20 am
Yea, Bennett was good, better than anyone since. But you would think we let Reggie White go the way dome keep harping. Its not like 31 other teams would have been giaranteed to keep Bennett. He had an injury and the Bucs didnt want to pay that type of money to an injured player. Of course hindsight is 20/20. Im pretty sure San Diego wishes they has kept an injured player around too.
January 31st, 2016 at 10:27 am
He wasnt a “schiano man”. And schiano was the best talent evaluator ever in bucs history. So i dont know why we are second guessing the almighty schiano.
/sarcasm.
January 31st, 2016 at 12:45 pm
@MadMax
My comment wasn’t directed at you but perhaps you are in that crowd that loves the bad boys. Different strokes and I repect your opinion. To me at the end of the day Sports is entertainment and while winning plays a huge role in the amount of entertainment I hate to cheer for aaawholes.
i mean we hung in there with Sapp right?
I’m not sure what we hung with…he smoked weed in college…and probably during his NFL career but as long as he wasn’t busted who cares.
He was not like Incognito who got thrown off many teams for his uncontrolled violence off the field as well as on….Pacman and Burfict just happened to pull one of their stunts at the wrong time…who wants to root for a sleazebag who sucker punches a cabbie from behind. Gun play in his home town..Aquib is just a bad seed! And IMHO he’s a good player not great. Frequently with the Bucs he seemed to lose focus and he wasn’t even all that good…other times he did look good.
Bottom line…if Talib was that good why did Belicheat let him walk?
January 31st, 2016 at 12:45 pm
Bottom line……we wouldn’t have Jameis. I’m fine with it as it is.
January 31st, 2016 at 1:17 pm
Nice counter Pete, Belicheat did let him walk…..spot on.
January 31st, 2016 at 2:19 pm
that’s dumb, he is at the pro bowl… and our pass defensive sucks. He was worth cutting and returning george johnson ?
January 31st, 2016 at 2:21 pm
y’all lame as hell, why not have bad asses on the team (all pro bowlers named) what’s it matter to you if they get arrested? as long as they ready for gameday and don’t get suspended often. I’m down for it
January 31st, 2016 at 4:44 pm
Its hard to believe that at this time last year, Lovie was going to cut and eat the last year of Doug’s rookie year ($2,159,668) before Coach Koetter stepped in and said give me a year with him!!!!