“This Is The Same Group Of People That Missed J.R. Sweezy’s Herniated Disk”
September 6th, 2016
Did Bucs doctors screw up with Jason Licht’s most expensive free agent signing?
Whoa! Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud had firm and rather enlightening words this morning on WDAE-AM 620.
Stroud was talking about how 2016 sixth-round pick Dan Vitale was waived by the Bucs, claimed by the Bills and then cut again after failing a physical this week. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times penned a piece alleging Tampa Bay thought Vitale had an insignificant shoulder injury but the Bills found it to be more something more.
“So you wonder, ‘How does this happen?’ Stroud told his morning show audience.
“Sometimes guys evaluate injuries differently, if you can believe that. Of course, this is the same group of people that missed J.R. Sweezy’s herniated disk. Having said that, Danny Vitale probably will end up back on the Bucs’ practice squad, if he can clear waivers again.”
Whoa! Joe has not heard that Bucs management “missed guard J.R. Sweezy’s herniated disk,” presumably in their evaluation of him when he signed a giant contract in March. That wasn’t in Stroud’s medically detailed story on the subject last month.
It’s a serious and rather damning claim by Stroud.
Remember, the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, asked Licht on July 26 if he knew of Sweezy’s injury before he signed with Tampa Bay. Licht was evasive.
Steve Duemig: Is this something you knew about before you signed him?
Jason Licht: You know, it was a procedure that he had and [it] went very, very well. And now he just needs to, we just need to get him into football shape.
Sweezy hasn’t practiced since being signed in March, and is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list after five regular-season games. Joe hopes his services are not needed, and all of this becomes trivial.
September 6th, 2016 at 8:43 am
I don’t know why but Stroud just rubs me the wrong way.
September 6th, 2016 at 8:47 am
Maybe need new medical team
September 6th, 2016 at 8:48 am
I blame Lovie, Schiano and Dominik for the herniated disk. I can remember Bruce Allen calling Rick Stroud “Dr Stroud”. Wonder if Rick just leeked private medical information. Oh dear Josh Freeman all over again….remember the uproar from the media on that. I do totally kid and hope this is become a backbreaker of a season. See what I did there. BTW Joe why did you hire Ira? Wasn’t he the one that wrote Bucs traded for Favre? Hack, Times got it correct guess that’s why Ira is looking for work
September 6th, 2016 at 8:51 am
It’s a serious and damning claim, but believable.
September 6th, 2016 at 9:03 am
Poor rickey still a little butt-hurt over coach K getting a little slick wit him during camp. Had to go air out a little laundry huh. Check it man I love the signing and no one I mean no one is perfect. When January comes around and we’re preparing for the Superbowl no one will be broken hearted over Sweezy being unavailable for 2016. The way I look at it will be icing on already sweet cake when he returns next season.
September 6th, 2016 at 9:16 am
Why? It’s a free agency miss on Licht’s part. Did you love it when the Bucs missed on Carl Nicks too? At least Nicks was a 2x pro bowler. Sweezy is an average player signed to big money.
September 6th, 2016 at 9:35 am
As far as Vitale goes, did his injury impact his play? I’m wondering how long ago it happened, and if they told him to play through it. Because if it were serious enough, the Bucs coaching staff might have accidentally cut a draft pick completely unaware something was wrong.
Same thing with Sweezy, if they missed something as easy to see as a herniated disk, either they didn’t do due diligence (their job) or they flat out missed it. For what the medical staff is paid to do, this is at the minimum incompetence. if I were a Bucs player I’d demand a second opinion for every diagnosis their doctors give from this moment forward.
September 6th, 2016 at 9:40 am
D-Rome Says:
Why? It’s a free agency miss on Licht’s part. Did you love it when the Bucs missed on Carl Nicks too? At least Nicks was a 2x pro bowler. Sweezy is an average player signed to big money
*****************************
Agree (or think I do) on Sweezy if Licht hired the doctors who ran him through the physical, because he’s responsible for his people’s actions. If Licht doesn’t hire the medical staff and simply didn’t know the extent of his injury, then it’s hard to call it a miss.
On the talent level, I think they were looking at his upside and felt he wasn’t tapping into his full potential. I dislike those kinds of signings personally.
September 6th, 2016 at 9:41 am
First off we didn’t sign Sweezy to a three month contract. People are writing him off before his career is over. Is he the next Carl Nicks or will he come back like GMC or Gronk or many other players who have played after injury.
I am with Brian though. I’m not upset at Licht for this signing, I am beginning to question the Bucs medical staff.
Nicks was bad enough…if Sweezy ends up on the shelf like Nicks that’s just a horrible reflection on whichever Doctor(s) advised the Bucs and Licht.
Licht is GM not the doctor. We can hold him responsible for not finding a lot better medical staff..
September 6th, 2016 at 9:43 am
Another great signing to add to Licht FA resume, smh. Hope he can come back k healthy and ready to contribute. As long as he can come back 100 I don’t care if he takes some extra time coming back, we need this guy for the long run. And BTW Rick Stroud is the man, he’s been covering the bucs while most of u were still in diapers. So I respect what the man says and believe everything as well. He knows what he’s talking about unlike most of these wanna be buc reporters.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:06 am
Stpetebucsfan
GMC has never “Came Back” he misses time and plays hurt every year. I am tired of hearing about he played hurt like it’s a badge of honor. The real issue is that he is ALWAYS hurt and has to play hurt or he will never see the field. GMC is not elite in the first place so when he is playing hurt it takes a good player and turns him a meh player.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:07 am
Writing Sweezy off is premature at this point. Although Licht is responsible for every signing and draft pick I find it hard to give him all the blame when a DR screws up. Just proves how bad DR’s and Healthcare in America really is when the elite medical teams with no budget or financial constraints are making mistakes.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:07 am
I don’t know who has a more inept medical team, the Bucs or the Mets.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:12 am
Sweezy swindle gets stinkier by the day. He will not play this year IMO. Soumds like the Bucs have [now, now… don’t be mean. — Joe] as team physicians. Sad “miss” given today’s technology.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:19 am
I have had two herniated discs for 30 years, never any surgery. I just live with it and react accordingly. It’s hard to imagine Sweezy recovering enough to play football, when that nerve is pinched you are out of all action and are lucky to tread gingerly. Perhaps medical procedures have a solution. I can’t believe the Bucs missed the injury when signing him.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:20 am
Tmax
I know you diss GMC almost as much as Lovie. I’m with you on Lovie not GMC.
Bottom line is this question.
Will you continue to diss Sweezy if he returns and puts in the szme number of Pro Bowl appearances as GMC?
September 6th, 2016 at 10:24 am
“I know why Says:
September 6th, 2016 at 8:48 am
Times got it correct guess that’s why Ira is looking for work”
I’m sure your shot across Ira’s bow has nothing to do with his evisceration of Mark Dominik. Mere coincidence.
Speaking of work, will another NFL team hire Dominik, ever?
September 6th, 2016 at 10:25 am
Lee Roy retired because if a Herniated Disk suffered in the F’n Pro Bowl. He didn’t want the surgery… But a lot of players come back from this with no issues.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:27 am
He could have hurt his back working out after he already signed his contract… Joe don’t know… Stroud don’t know… Bucs may know…. Sweezey certainly may know.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:44 am
StPete
I am confused I have not ditched sweezy once. This is the first injury of his that I am aware of. Now with Ms McCoy let’s see if I can recall them from my days playing the game Operation… biceps x2, hammy, shoulders, elbows, broken nails, hamstrings, stubbed toe I am sure I am missing some…
Pro bowls are meaningless popularity contests with a flawed voting system. I laugh when i hear the “peers” voting him in crap. I don’t care about pro-bowls… Make a damn play in the 4th gtr to change the momentum. Make a big stop on 3rd down and stop disappearing when your team needs you and I’ll be the biggest GMC fan on this site besides Hawaiian of course.
Sweezy is not a good comparison to the supposed Elite DT who once was the face of the franchise that’s like comparing Lemmy to Taylor Swift. Salary is no where close either.
I don’t care who the player is if you are not on the field helping your team you are hurting it. rosters spots are valuable. There will be injuries but real elite tough players find a way to make a difference, the rest make excuses or blame injuries. If you want to see something funny ADD up all the games played and missed by Brooks, Sapp, Lynch and Barber then look at the number of games GMC has missed… The percentage will ASTONISH you…
September 6th, 2016 at 10:45 am
R.O.
That’s what I thought until I read the Jason L quote above from Steve D. Question. If that were the case he would have said yes instead of the word salad of nothing.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:47 am
Of course they knew. They made that pretty obvious at the time!
I hope Stroud is right about Dan Vitale. I pointed out yesterday that they knew he was injured and that was why they cut him. Was it a rules violation? I don’t know.
But I hope he comes back.
September 6th, 2016 at 10:49 am
R.O Says
“He could have hurt his back working out after he already signed his contract… Joe don’t know… Stroud don’t know… Bucs may know…. Sweezey certainly may know.”
The injury is not Bucs related. It happened with his former team, and he put off the surgery. He told the Bucs about it before he signed.
September 6th, 2016 at 11:18 am
Where did you read that info Bonzai?
I’ve been looking for more info on this subject for the last month. The most detail I found was this on Bucs nation.
Sweezy had back surgery after signing with the team, who expected him to replace the retired Logan Mankins. Apparently the surgery was more serious than expected, although Stroud says Sweezy got a positive report from a different doctor in California, who he visited this week.
How the team passed Sweezy in a physical while he was harboing an injury that’s now going to cost him nearly a third of the regular season is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the team and Sweezy thought the injury and surgery wouldn’t be as serious or tasking as they’ve turned out to be. Sweezy has yet to practice with the Bucs since signing with them in April.
Please show us your source so we can be enlightened too
September 6th, 2016 at 11:21 am
OK guys, move over because when it comes to injuries (past, present, and future) and anything related to nicks, cuts, burns, and bruises, this is my territory. I am glad to evaluate any player, sight unseen, from my air-conditioned office and from a distance of no more than 5000 miles.
September 6th, 2016 at 11:22 am
Sweezy swindle gets stinkier by the day. He will not play this year IMO. Sounds like the Bucs have [now, now… don’t be mean. — Joe] as team physicians. Sad “miss” given today’s technology.
Sorry Joes’…I realize I’ve been drilling a dead horse here.I take “raw deals” personally when it comes to the Bucs. I also realize that my snarkiness has landed me on the “Moderation Nation” watchlist…as it should. 🙂
September 6th, 2016 at 11:49 am
Buctrooper, I am a fan of both the Mets and Bucs and you are dead on regarding the medical staffs.
September 6th, 2016 at 12:50 pm
Sweezy has already been written off, at least for the first 5 weeks of the season, injuries are a part of this beast, but the Bucs whiffed on this free-agent sighing!!
September 6th, 2016 at 12:51 pm
Tmax get over it. Marpet is hurt ALL the time. Constantly. Gronk is ALWAYS hurt literally every year. Same with Big Ben. I can go on. I can list hall of famers or role players if you like.
Stop with your hatred. It’s almost as bad as mike Johnson’s lovie fetish. Get over it man you just sound like a fool. And save your when did he recover a fumble in the fourth and score and cure aids nonsense. When did lvd do any of your claims that make a player worthy? Never. Just stop before you even start
September 6th, 2016 at 1:18 pm
Is that your opinion Dr. Stroud?
September 6th, 2016 at 1:57 pm
The Bucs sould go find the Best Medical Professional available to shore up their medical staff. Just can’t have misses like this.
September 6th, 2016 at 2:41 pm
head ball coach dirk
I am hardly alone in my views on gmc. no one want’s to be a gmc fan more than I do however, i am not going to give him the same free pass you and some others do. i am very objective and accurate it’s hardly hate. stay healthy and make plays not excuses and i’ll be the biggest gmc guy on the site.
September 6th, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Me too, JerseyBuc! Staten Island here. I’ve even been to Mets fantasy camp twice.
Sometimes the parallels of ineptitude are staggering.
September 6th, 2016 at 5:59 pm
To bad lichts name gets tarnished for bad signings due to the medical staff not doing a good job. Id fire theyre asses right now….YESTERDAY!!!
LICHT LISTENS to them and they screwed up. Hes not a doctor so he has no way of knowing. They would be out the door buddy GONE!!!!!
September 6th, 2016 at 10:40 pm
Every GD time I think about it..I laugh. What was up on our Bucs medical staff with this one? Did the Seahawks pull a fast Spin? Did they doctor the med reports? Sweezy knew he was injured badly. But can you blame him? Dude probably figured…Would be nice to go out getting paid. I gotta crown this guy with the handle… EASY (money) Sweezy!! Lean back Sweez..enjoy the ride. Get your money for nothing and your chicks..for free. Cause we going to be in..Dire Straights!